11th India-Italy Military Cooperation Group meeting concludes in Rome

New Delhi: The 11th India-Italy Military Cooperation Group meeting was held from 31 May – to 01 June 22 in Rome. The Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff said in a tweet that both sides expressed satisfaction at the broad scope and depth of the bilateral military cooperation and discussed operationalising new avenues to further enhance bilateral military ties.

The Foreign Minister of Italy Luigi Di Maio last month had come on a visit to India. During his visit, both the countries explored the potential for closer industrial collaboration, including in the field of defence.

In recent bilateral meetings, both sides have emphasized the need to further expand defence engagement through greater two-way collaboration and technology cooperation, co-development and co-production by expediting discussions through the joint defence committee and military cooperation group.

After a pause because of the Agusta Westland scam and the marine's case, defence ties with Italy were revived after an eight-year gap in 2018.

Italy has significant interests in the Indian defence sector, ranging from maritime systems to radars, avionics and land systems.

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