Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday called for isolating all nations that have adopted terrorism as their state policy. He was speaking at the ‘Curtain Raiser’ of the first-ever India-Uzbekistan Joint Exercise ‘Dustlik 2019’ here in the presence his Uzbekistan counterpart Major General Bakhodir Nizamovich Kurbanov. “Terrorism is a global problem. There are many examples where some countries have adopted terrorism as their state policy. The need of the hour is to condemn and isolate such countries,” said Singh. Describing ‘Dustlik 2019’ as an example of the growing defence collaboration between India and Uzbekistan, he expressed confidence that the soldiers of the two countries will stand shoulder-to-shoulder in the time of need. The minister also termed defence cooperation between the two countries as ‘crucial’ to the overall bilateral relations that have witnessed tremendous growth in the last few years. He also assured the government of Uzbekistan that Indian Armed Forces will provide all possible assistance to their Uzbek counterparts for their modernisation and capacity building. Singh also affirmed India’s commitment to developing a state-of-the-art IT complex in Armed Forces Academy of Uzbekistan for the benefit of their soldiers. “We will send a team of expert IT professionals and English language instructors to share their expertise with the students of Knowledge Academy,” he added. Identifying ‘Military-Technical Cooperation’ as an area of huge potential, Singh said: “India is always ready to share its accomplishments and achievements with Uzbekistan in this field. He expressed confidence that both countries will benefit from this cooperation.” He also lauded the ‘large size reforms & transformations’ being undertaken in Uzbekistan by the government led by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. He also expressed hope that ‘Dustlik 2019’ will be a grand success and the Armies of both countries will demonstrate the highest degree of professionalism during the exercise. He invited the Armed Forces of Uzbekistan for the Joint Exercises in 2020 in India. ‘Dustlik 2019’ will be conducted from November 4-13, 2019 at Chirchiq Training Area near Tashkent. In the exercise, an Indian Army contingent will train along with Uzbekistan Army. The exercise will enable sharing of best practices and experiences between the Armed Forces of the two countries and would lead to greater operational effectiveness.
