New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on May 29 had a telephonic talk with US Secretary of Defense Dr Mark T Esper at the latter’s request and discussed their governments tackling the COVID-19 pandemic and vowed to continue the excellent bilateral cooperation in this regard.

The talk assumes significance in the wake of the ongoing Sino-Indian border faceoff and the developments in the South China Sea where an American warship recently passed through the region.

They reviewed progress on various bilateral defence cooperation arrangements and expressed their commitment to further promote their defence partnership. To this end, Singh invited Esper to visit India at the earliest mutual convenience, which the latter accepted with pleasure.

Defence Minister appreciated his US counterpart Esper’s condolence over lives lost in Eastern India during Cyclone Amphan recently, and briefed him on India’s relief efforts. The two Ministers also exchanged views on regional developments of shared security interest.