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.
