Article Posted on : - Sep 01, 2010

A file photo.

NEW DELHI (BNS): Bilateral defence exchanges between India and South Korea is expected to get a fillip when Defence Minister A K Antony embarks on a two-day visit to Seoul on Thursday.

Antony will be the first Indian Defence Minister to visit South Korea at the invitation of his Korean counterpart, Kim Tae-young.

The two sides will deliberate on a wide range of issues including mutual cooperation for peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region to bilateral cooperation in research and development for manufacturing of military equipment, a release from the Indian Defence Ministry stated Wednesday.

Antony will be accompanied by a high-level delegation including Defence Secretary Pradeep Kumar, Vice Admiral RK Dhowan and Lt General KT Parnaik among others.

The Indian delegation will also visit some of the defence establishments of South Korea, the statement said.

The Defence Minister’s visit results from a declaration issued by the two Asian countries during the state visit of South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak to New Delhi in January this year. It was then decided to upgrade the India-South Korea bilateral relationship to a “strategic partnership”, the MoD statement said.