Rajnath Singh reaffirms India's commitment to a free and inclusive Indo-Pacific at ADMM-Plus

NEW DELHI. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has reaffirmed India's commitment to upholding international law and promoting a free, open, and inclusive Indo-Pacific, saying the country's advocacy for freedom of navigation and overflight under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is aimed at protecting the collective interests of all regional stakeholders, not directed against any specific nation.

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Speaking at the 12^th ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus) in Kuala Lumpur on November 1, Singh addressed the plenary session on 'Reflection on 15 Years of ADMM-Plus and Charting a Way Forward'. He emphasised that India's strategic engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is principle-driven and long-term, based on a shared belief that the Indo-Pacific must remain open, inclusive, and free from coercion.

Commending Malaysia's theme of 'Inclusivity and Sustainability' as chair of ADMM-Plus, Singh said inclusivity in security meant that every nation, regardless of size or capability, should have a voice in shaping the regional order and reaping its benefits. Sustainability, he explained, involved building resilient and adaptive regional security structures founded on long-term cooperation rather than short-term alignments.