New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh welcomed his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto in the national capital for bilateral talks focused on defence and strategic cooperation.
During the meeting, the two ministers reviewed the entire spectrum of defence ties between India and Italy. They discussed ways to further enhance collaboration in military training, joint exercises, and defence industry partnerships.
The situation in West Asia figured prominently in the discussions. Both sides expressed concern over recent developments in the region and agreed on the need for de-escalation and peaceful resolution of conflicts to ensure regional and global stability.
A key outcome of the meeting was the exchange of the Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan (MCP) for 2026-27. This plan outlines various joint military engagements, exercises and exchanges between the armed forces of the two countries for the coming year.
Rajnath Singh highlighted India’s commitment to strengthening partnerships with like-minded nations to address multi-dimensional security challenges. He emphasised the importance of maritime security, counter-terrorism and defence technology collaboration.
The Italian Defence Minister appreciated India’s growing role in global security architecture and expressed Italy’s keen interest in deepening ties with Indian defence industries.
The meeting comes at a time when India is actively engaging with several European nations to diversify its defence partnerships and reduce dependencies in critical sectors.
Officials from both sides described the discussions as productive and forward-looking. The two countries already cooperate in several areas, including naval exercises and defence equipment manufacturing under the ‘Make in India’ framework.
Defence ministry sources indicated that further concrete outcomes in terms of specific projects and technology sharing are expected in the near future.
The visit of the Italian Defence Minister underscores the steady progress in India-Italy strategic relations in recent years.
