India, Italy ink agreement to boost defence cooperation

On the first part of his journey to Italy and France, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met with Italian Defense Minister Mr Guido Crosetto in Rome on October 9, 2023.

 

During the conference, both parties reviewed a wide range of defense cooperation topics, including training, information sharing, maritime exercises, and maritime security.The emphasis was on the possibilities for defense industrial collaboration.

 

The two Ministers reviewed India's and Italy's complementing defense capabilities, as well as the potential for collaborative development.The Raksha Mantri proposed increasing engagement between Indian start-ups and Italian defense businesses.

 

The conference was followed by the signing of the Agreement on Defense Cooperation.

 

The agreement will promote bilateral cooperation in a variety of defense domains, including security and defense policy, R&D, military education, maritime domain awareness, sharing of defense information, and industrial cooperation, including co-development, co-production, and joint venture formation.

 

Earlier, at Villa Madama, Rajnath Singh was honored with a Guard of Honour. The Raksha Mantri was greeted at Ciampino Airport by Indian Ambassador to Italy Dr Neena Malhotra and other Italian authorities.