New Delhi, Aug 30 (IANS) Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with his Kenyan counterpart Aden Bare Duale here on Tuesday and both agreed on joint training of forces in the counter-insurgency domain while India will also help Kenya in ship design and construction, the Defence Ministry said.
As a token of friendship, Rajnath Singh gifted 15 pairs of parachutes (main and reserve) manufactured by Gliders India Ltd to the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Defence and promised to set up an advanced CT scan facility in Kenya.
The Defence Ministry said that capacity building and cooperation in defence industry and equipment was also discussed at length by the two sides.
An MoU was signed between Goa Shipyard Ltd and Kenya Shipyard Ltd in the field of capacity building and for collaboration in ship design and construction.
Duale appreciated the growing prowess of the Indian defence industry, including the private sector, and highlighted the areas in which the Indian industry can support the requirements of the Kenyan Forces, the Defence Ministry said.
According to the ministry, he also suggested ‘training of trainers’ of Kenyan Forces by the instructors of Indian Armed Forces in order to maintain continuity and extract greater benefit out of such programmes.
Both sides agreed for joint training in counter insurgency and UN peacekeeping domains.
Other regional security issues of mutual interest were also discussed during the meeting, the official added.
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan and Defence Secretary Giridhar Aramane also attended the meeting along with senior officials of Ministry of Defence, Ministry of External Affairs and Defence PSUs.
The Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Defence is on a 3-day visit to India. He will be visiting Indian shipyards and defence industries in Goa and Bengaluru during his stay.
The Defence Ministry said that this meeting was a testimony to the increasing depth in the India-Kenya defence partnership. Both the Ministers agreed that the defence relationship between the two countries has evolved from being training-centric to include more strategic aspects.
Rajnath Singh underscored the importance India attaches to the ties with African nations. In particular, the relationship between India and Kenya has been growing from strength to strength. The two Ministers also concurred on the need for deeper cooperation in maritime security of the Indian Ocean region, official added.