NEW DELHI: India and Italy inked a defence cooperation agreement on Monday after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto in Rome on the first leg of his visit to Italy and France.
The Ministry of Defence on Tuesday said, "During the meeting, both sides discussed a host of defence cooperation issues, including training, sharing of information, maritime exercises and maritime security. The focus was on the opportunities in defence industrial cooperation."
The meeting was followed by the signing of the agreement on cooperation in the field of defence. "The agreement will promote bilateral cooperation in varied defence domains, such as security and defence policy, R&D, education in the military field, maritime domain awareness, sharing of defence information and industrial cooperation, including co-development, co-production & setting up of joint ventures," said the MoD.
The two ministers discussed the complementary capacities of India and Italy in defence and the possibilities of joint development. The Defence Minister suggested fostering the interaction of Indian start-ups with Italian defence companies.
Earlier, Rajnath Singh was presented with a Guard of Honour at Villa Madama. Upon his arrival at Ciampino Airport, Rajnath Singh was received by the Indian Ambassador to Italy Dr Neena Malhotra and senior Italian officials.
The relationship between India and Italy was elevated to a strategic partnership in March 2023 during the visit of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to India.