Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh led the Indian delegation at the 9th Joint Defence Committee (JDC) meeting with South Africa, held on June 23 and 24. The South African delegation was headed by Acting Secretary for Defence, Dr. Thobekile Gamede. The meeting opened with remarks from the co-chairs, who outlined the agenda and offered guidance to the two sub-committees reporting to the JDC. Both delegations provided briefings on the capabilities of their respective defence industries.
The Defence Secretary recalled the historic relations with South Africa and expressed satisfaction with the significant progress made in bilateral defence cooperation. He highlighted India’s growing prowess in defence manufacturing and exports and reiterated the commitment to further strengthening relations with South Africa.
On the second day of the meeting, areas of mutual interest were discussed and a way forward for further strengthening of India-South Africa relations was identified. Two newly signed agreements in the domain of submarine cooperation were exchanged during the meeting.
The two sub-committees on Defence Policy and Military Cooperation, and Defence Acquisition, Production, Research and Development reported the outcome of the discussions to the JDC. The Indian delegation comprised senior officers from the Department of Defence, Department of Defence Production, the Services, and the Indian High Commission.
India-South Africa relations have a shared history, deeply rooted in the commonality of struggle against colonialism. Defence collaboration between the two countries dates back to 1996, when the MoU on ‘Cooperation in the Field of Defence Equipment’ was signed, which was further upgraded by an MoU in 2000.
