Rajnath Singh, Crosetto discuss defence ties, West Asia

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday held talks with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto in New Delhi, focusing on defence cooperation and the evolving situation in West Asia.

Following the meeting, Singh said discussions covered a wide range of regional and global issues, including the situation in West Asia, and explored ways to strengthen defence industrial cooperation between India and Italy.

“Happy to have welcomed my Italian counterpart Mr Guido Crosetto and held extensive talks with him in Delhi today. We discussed a wide range of regional and global issues including the current situation in West Asia. We also discussed the avenues to further develop mutually beneficial defence industrial cooperation under India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat programme and Italy’s defence cooperation initiative. A Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan (MCP) 2026-27 was also exchanged regarding military engagements between the Armed forces of both countries,” Singh posted.

Earlier in the day, Crosetto laid a wreath at the National War Memorial and inspected the Guard of Honour before proceeding for bilateral engagements.

The visit marks Crosetto’s first official trip to India and signals both countries’ intent to expand existing defence ties while exploring new areas of collaboration, particularly in defence manufacturing and industrial partnerships.

Defence cooperation between India and Italy has steadily expanded in recent years to include dialogue, service-to-service interactions, training exchanges, defence exports, information sharing, port calls, naval exercises and maritime security cooperation. An agreement on defence cooperation was signed following Singh’s visit to Italy in 2023.

Officials said the relationship has gained further momentum after the signing of the India-European Union Security and Defence Partnership in January 2026, which has provided renewed impetus to collaboration in key sectors.

Earlier this year, India and the European Union formalised a comprehensive security framework aimed at deepening cooperation across strategic, regional and global domains.

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In a joint statement issued after the 16th India-EU Summit attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, leaders welcomed the partnership and outlined areas of cooperation including maritime security, defence technology, cyber and hybrid threats, space and counterterrorism.

The Ministry of Defence said the ministers also exchanged views on regional and global developments in light of the evolving security landscape, underlining the growing strategic convergence between India and European partners.