A fresh impetus to India-Italy defense relations emerged from Rome, where agreements were sealed to ramp up industrial cooperation. Secretary Sanjeev Kumar, from India’s Ministry of Defence Production, held substantive parleys with Italian counterparts, focusing on strategic imperatives.
Central to the visit was Kumar’s session with Italian Armed Forces Chief General Luciano Portolano. They concurred on the imperative to deepen defense collaboration via bolstered industrial engagements, capitalizing on each side’s unique defense capabilities.
Kumar also met Under Secretary Matteo Perego di Cremnago and National Armaments Director Admiral Giachino Ottaviani on Thursday. The agenda covered reviews of current initiatives, policy scaffolds for industry involvement, and leveraging ecosystem complementarities.
The spotlight fell on the India-Italy Defense Industry Seminar, a collaborative effort by SIDM and AIAD. It drew robust involvement from public enterprises, businesses, and startups, with keynote speeches by Kumar and Ottaviani framing discussions on industrial alignment and supply chains.
B2B and B2G meetings proved instrumental in identifying collaboration prospects, from joint manufacturing to tech integrations.
Echoing PM Modi’s sentiments from his December meeting with Antonio Tajani, these steps affirm the ‘steadily fortifying’ India-Italy partnership, yielding benefits beyond borders.
This accord heralds expanded opportunities in defense tech, co-production, and innovation, fortifying both nations’ strategic postures amid evolving global threats.