India and Bangladesh on Thursday reviewed the entire spectrum of their bilateral defence and strategic ties here during the talks between Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and his Bangladesh counterpart Bangladesh Lt General Waker-Uz-Zaman.
The talks were held under the aegis of the fourth India-Bangladesh Annual Defence Dialogue between Ajay Kumar and Zaman who is Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division of Bangladesh, defence ministry officials said here.
During their interaction, they reviewed ongoing defence cooperation between the two countries and expressed satisfaction that collaboration is growing despite difficulties imposed by COVID-19 pandemic. The talks covered the existing bilateral exercises and training and agreed to increase the complexity of these exercises. Both the sides reviewed the progress on various bilateral defence cooperation initiatives and expressed commitment to further elevate engagements between the Armed Forces. Various aspects of defence industrial and capability building cooperation came up for detailed discussions. Both sides emphasised need to work closely to implement USD 500 million line of credit extended from India for defence items.
The Defence Secretary commended the Bangladeshi side for their efforts in UN peace keeping. The Armed Forces of both countries continue to seek bilateral cooperation in multiple fields and increased engagements are a positive sign for future of relations of both countries.
He also invited the Bangladeshi delegation for the upcoming Def-Expo 2022 and stated that in the domain of defence industry both countries have great potential of cooperation in defence trade, co-development and joint production.