All defence deals will be in national interest: Antony

New Delhi, Oct 25: Mr A K Antony, who today took over as the new Defence Minister, said all defence deals will be in national interest.

''Every defence deal will be in national interest,'' Mr Antony told reporters in his office when asked about the controversy surrounding the role of middlemen in defence deals.

He, however, said such a controversy cannot be avoided in a ministry like the Defence Ministry.

''But we will work to protect the national interest,'' he added.

He said that in a transparent democracy like India, every deed of politicians and officials was watched by the people.

He said his new assignment was a challenging task, and he had already spoken to officials about the functioning of his Ministry.

Mr Antony, former Kerala Chief Minister, took over from Mr Pranab Mukherjee, who has been made External Affairs Minister.

UNI