Indian Defence Minister to Attend 11th ADMM-Plus in Laos.

Vientiane: Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will pay an official visit to Vientiane, Laos from November 20-22 to attend the 11th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus). According to Lao News Agency, the minister will address the forum on Regional and International Security Issues during the meeting. On the sidelines of the event, he is expected to hold bilateral meetings with participating counterparts from Australia, China, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines, Republic of Korea (RoK) and the US. These meetings are aimed at further enhancing bilateral defence cooperation with these countries. ADMM is the highest defence consultative and cooperative mechanism in ASEAN. ADMM-Plus is a platform for ASEAN member states - Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam and its eight dialogue partners - India, the US, China, Russia, Japan, the RoK, Australia and New Zealand - to strengthen security and defence cooperation. India bec ame the dialogue partner of ASEAN in 1992. The inaugural ADMM-Plus was convened in Hanoi on October 12, 2010. Since 2017, ADMM-Plus Ministers have been meeting annually to bolster the cooperation amongst ASEAN and the Plus countries. Laos, as ASEAN chair this year, hosts the 11th ADMM-Plus.