New Delhi, April 30 (ANI): Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto on Thursday laid a wreath at the National War Memorial and reviewed the Guard of Honour. He later met India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Manekshaw Centre; the two ministers are scheduled to hold bilateral talks.
According to the Ministry of Defence, discussions will span a wide range of defence cooperation topics and the ministers are expected to exchange perspectives on regional and global security amid changing strategic dynamics.
The MoD noted that defence ties picked up pace after Rajnath Singh’s visit to Rome in October 2023. Crosetto’s first official visit to India underscores both countries’ intent to deepen cooperation and to explore new avenues, particularly in defence industrial partnerships.
The statement highlighted the January 2026 signing of the India-EU Defence & Strategic Partnership as evidence of growing strategic alignment, which has accelerated defence industrial collaboration in areas of mutual interest.
India–Italy defence relations have broadened to include high-level dialogues, service-to-service exchanges, training, defence exports, information sharing, port calls, naval exercises and cooperation on maritime security. An Agreement on Defence Cooperation was also signed following Rajnath Singh’s 2023 visit to Italy.
Earlier this year, India and the European Union concluded a Security and Defence Partnership, the first comprehensive defence and security framework between them. In a joint statement after the 16th India-EU Summit — attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen — leaders welcomed the SDP, saying it would strengthen collaboration on maritime security, the defence industry and technology, cyber and hybrid threats, space, counterterrorism and related areas. (ANI)
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