Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will leave on Monday for Italy and France to cement defence ties and explore opportunities for military industry cooperation.

During the first leg of his two-nation visit, Rajnath Singh is scheduled to meet Italian Defence Minister Guido Crisetto in Rome, the Ministry of Defence said ahead of his four day visit. The relationship between India and Italy was elevated to strategic partnership in March 2023 during the visit of the Italian Prime Minister to India.

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Singh will conduct the 5^th Annual Defence Dialogue with his counterpart, French Minister of Armed Forces Sebastian Lecornu in Paris. “India and France recently celebrated 25 years of Strategic Partnership. Both countries enjoy a deep and wide-ranging bilateral defence relationship, including significant industrial cooperation, the MoD stated in a statement.

In both Rome and Paris, the Minister will also interact with the defence industry CEOs and senior representatives to discuss potential opportunities for industrial cooperation.