Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman meets US counterpart James Mattis on ASEAN meet sidelines

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman met US counterpart James Mattis on Friday on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Defence Ministers meet in Singapore. Singapore is hosting the 12th ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting (ADMM) and the 5th ADMM-Plus to be held on October 19 and 20.

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The ADMM and ADMM-Plus serve as key ministerial-level platforms in the regional security architecture, promoting strategic dialogue and practical cooperation between ASEAN and its partners. The conference will also be attended by defence ministers from Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Russia and the US.

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This is the second time that Singapore is chairing the ADMM since its establishment in 2006 and the first time to chair the ADMM-Plus since its establishment in 2010.