LOC18:58
15:58 GMT
NEW DELHI, Feb 27 (KUNA) -- India and Italy discussed on Friday ways to deepen defence cooperation.
A statement from the Indian Ministry of Defense said that Indian Secretary of (Defence Production) Sanjeev Kumar met leading Italian Defense officials and explored ways to further strengthen defence cooperation during his visit to Rome on February 26-27.
Kumar called on Italy's Undersecretary of State for Defence Matteo Perego di Cremnago and held meetings with National Armaments Director Admiral Giacinto Ottaviani and Chief of Italian Defence Forces General Luciano Portolano. During the meetings, both nations reaffirmed their shared commitment to facilitate industry partnerships to build respective resilient defence supply chains.
The two sides identified defence cooperation as a key pillar of the bilateral strategic partnership and concurred on the importance of augmenting industrial cooperation by building synergies and linkages between the defence industrial ecosystems.
Both sides noted that the India-EU Security and Defence Partnership signed in January 2026 provides new avenues for participation of Indian defence companies in the defence supply chains of the EU.
The discussions focused on opportunities for joint ventures, co-development and co-production leveraging the synergies between the respective defence ecosystems.
The visit reflects the deepening of India and Italy defence cooperation and India's commitment to build trusted partnerships in defence manufacturing. (end)
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