New Delhi, April 30 (ANI): Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on Thursday laid a wreath at the National War Memorial and inspected the Guard of Honour. He met Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Manekshaw Centre, and the two ministers are set to hold bilateral talks.
The discussions will cover a range of issues related to defence cooperation between India and Italy, and the ministers are expected to exchange views on regional and global security amid the evolving strategic landscape, the Ministry of Defence said.
According to the MoD, defence ties gained momentum after Raksha Mantri Singh’s visit to Rome in October 2023. Crosetto’s first visit to India highlights both countries’ intent to deepen existing cooperation and explore new areas, particularly in defence industrial partnership.
The signing of the India-EU Defence & Strategic Partnership in January 2026 reflects growing strategic convergence and has boosted defence industrial collaboration in mutually relevant areas, the statement added.
India–Italy defence relations have expanded to include high-level dialogue, service-to-service interactions, training, defence exports, information sharing, port calls, naval exercises and maritime security. An Agreement on Defence Cooperation was signed following Rajnath Singh’s 2023 visit to Italy.
Earlier this year, India and the European Union signed a Security and Defence Partnership — the first comprehensive defence and security framework between them. In a joint statement after the 16th India-EU Summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, leaders welcomed the SDP, noting it would strengthen collaboration in maritime security, the defence industry and technology, cyber and hybrid threats, space, counterterrorism and other areas. (ANI)
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