SINGAPORE - Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung is in Moscow, Russia, from Tuesday (April 3) to Thursday to attend the 7th Moscow Conference on International Security, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Wednesday.
Mr Ong has touched base with the newly appointed Chinese Minister of National Defence, General Wei Fenghe, Mindef said.
"Both ministers reaffirmed the warm and friendly relations between Singapore and China, and welcomed opportunities to deepen bilateral defence cooperation," said Mindef.
During his visit, Mr Ong met Russian Deputy Minister of Defence, Colonel-General Alexander Fomin.
He will also meet Indian Minister for Defence Nirmala Sitharaman, Vietnamese Minister of National Defence Ngo Xuan Lich and former United States Ambassador to Singapore and US Ambassador to Russia Jon Huntsman.
Mr Ong is slated to speak at the conference on Thursday. He will share on the topic Asia: Regional Security Aspects.
Mr Ong had shared photos of his visit on Facebook on Wednesday, including one of the colourful St Basil's Cathedral in the Red Square, the Tomb of the Unknown Solider which commemorates those who died during World War II, and Lenin's Mausoleum.
"This afternoon, I visited the Kremlin and the Red Square," he wrote. "It is truly a site that captures Russia's proud history and culture."
"I saw the mausoleum of Lenin, who changed the course of Russian and European history. I visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier too - commemorating those who died in WWII. I reflected upon the same dedication and purpose of the Singapore Armed Forces in defending Singapore," he said.
He added that he would be meeting various international leaders on the sidelines of the conference, and is "looking forward to many fruitful discussions".
