India and Italy on Thursday took a step forward in strengthening their defence partnership, with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh holding bilateral talks with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto in New Delhi and exchanging a Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan (MCP) for 2026-27.
– The meeting, held at the Manekshaw Centre, focused on enhancing military engagements and expanding defence industrial cooperation between the two countries. Both ministers reaffirmed that the India-Italy Strategic Partnership is rooted in shared values of peace, stability, freedom, and mutual respect.
– According to the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the newly exchanged MCP outlines a roadmap for structured military interactions between the armed forces of both nations over the next year.
– In a post on X, Singh said, “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,” he added.
– Earlier in the day, Crosetto paid tribute to fallen soldiers by laying a wreath at the National War Memorial. He was also accorded a ceremonial tri-service Guard of Honour at the Manekshaw Centre.
– The visit and high-level engagement underscore growing defence ties between India and Italy, with both sides seeking to expand cooperation in military exchanges, industrial collaboration, and maritime security.