Raksha Mantri Rajnath Singh, today held bilateral talks with Lt Gen Rokotonirina Richard, Defence Minister of Madagascar on the second day of DefExpo 2020 in Lucknow.During the discussions, Raksha Mantri stressed upon enhancing ties in Maritime security cooperation in the region. He said that, as maritime neighbours both countries have responsibility to ensure a secure maritime environment so that trade and commerce flourish.Underlining the President of India’s state visit to Madagascar in March 2018, Shri Rajnath Singh said that the historic visit reaffirmed the excellent bilateral relationship between the two countries. He emphasized that the MoU signed during the visit provided an enabling framework for defence cooperation between the two countries.Raksha Mantri hoped that the DefExpo 2020 would provide a platform for both the countries to further strengthen the defence ties and in exploring various areas of mutual engagement.In his remarks, Lt Gen Rokotonirina Richard said India has a great role to play in preserving security in the Indian ocean maritime region. He expressed his Government’s sincere gratitude for 'Operation Vanilla', in Which Indian Navy provided assistance to the affected population of Madagascar post devastation caused by Cyclone Diane.The Defence Minister of Madagascar invited Raksha Mantri to the independence day celebrations on June 26 this year.