New Chapter in India-Italy Defence Ties

Charting a fresh course, India and Italy embark on a new era of defence collaboration

- RANJIT KUMAR

THE FIRST EVER VISIT by an Indian Defence Minister to Rome in recent decades, on October 9, 2023, cleared the roadmap for revival of full-scale defence cooperation

between India and Italy. The visit of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh delivered defence cooperation agreement on expected lines as it was preceded by a joint statement on defence cooperation from highest quarters. The India-Italy summit meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, held earlier in March this year, issued a landmark statement on defence cooperation and an action plan to revive and deepen the defence cooperation between India and Italy.

Defence relations between India and Italy were put on hold after allegations of bribery in the VVIP AgustaWestland helicopter deal. After the Narendra Modi-led government in New Delhi gave a closure to this issue and cleared the way for laying the track for next chapter in defence relations, the European defence equipment manufacturer will have cordial defence cooperation relations with Indian defence forces and industry in coming years.