New Delhi, October 15
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh today reaffirmed India’s resolve for open, free and rule-based maritime borders in the Indo-Pacific region.
He was delivering the inaugural address at Heads of Asian Coast Guard Agencies Meeting (HACGAM) in New Delhi today.
Without naming China, which is locked in multiple maritime disputes, the minister said, “We stand for open, free and rule-based maritime borders in the Indo-Pacific. India was always ready and forthcoming to work with like-minded partner countries across various forums.”
Rajnath called for effective collaboration among maritime nations to deal with challenges to maritime safety. The Indian Coast Guard is hosting the 18th HACGAM. A total of 55 representatives from 18 countries and two International Organisations are part of the event. The HACGAM is a multilateral forum of 23 countries — Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkiye, Vietnam and Hong Kong (China).