Rome: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held talks with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto in Rome on October 09, 2023, on the first leg of his visit to Italy and France. 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.
Posted on X, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, "Had a warm and productive meeting with the Italian Defence Minister Mr Guido Crosetto in Rome. We discussed a host of issues pertaining to defence cooperation which included training, information sharing and maritime security. An Agreement on Defence cooperation was also signed between India and Italy. We look forward to further consolidating our defence partnership."
Both Defence Ministers discussed the complementary capacities of India and Italy in defence and the possibilities of joint development. The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh suggested fostering the interaction of the Indian start-ups with the Italian defence companies.
The Ministry of Defence in a statement said that 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 military field, maritime domain awareness, sharing of defence information and industrial cooperation, including co-development, co-production & setting up of joint ventures.
Earlier, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was presented with a Guard of Honour at Villa Madama. Upon his arrival at Ciampino Airport, the Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was received by the Indian Ambassador to Italy Dr Neena Malhotra and senior Italian officials.
