Rajnath Singh Tells Italy: Do Not Share Defence Technology With Pakistan
New Delhi: India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged Italy on Thursday to refrain from transferring sensitive defence technology to Pakistan, raising the issue during high-level bilateral talks focused on deepening military and industrial cooperation between the two countries.
The request was made during a meeting with Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi. India has previously conveyed similar concerns to the Netherlands over its defence ties with Pakistan.
The Italian minister’s visit comes weeks ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s first bilateral trip to Italy his earlier visits to the country having been limited to multilateral forums such as the G20 and G7.
Both ministers agreed to collaborate on globally exclusive defence technologies and explore joint industrial projects under India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative and Italy’s defence cooperation framework. A key outcome of the meeting was the exchange of a Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan for 2026-27, covering joint exercises, training, and operational coordination between the armed forces of both nations.
Maritime security featured prominently in the discussions. The two sides highlighted enhanced information sharing through the Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram, aimed at strengthening maritime domain awareness across the strategically critical Indian Ocean.
According to an official Indian government statement, both ministers “reiterated that the India-Italy Strategic Partnership is based on shared values of peace, stability, freedom, and mutual respect.”
The meeting builds on a 2023 Defence Cooperation Agreement signed by Singh and Crosetto in Rome, which covers policy coordination, research and development, military education, and industrial collaboration including co-development and joint ventures. Last November, the two countries adopted a Joint Strategic Action Plan for 2025-2029, featuring a dedicated defence pillar with annual consultative meetings and efforts toward a Defence Industrial Roadmap.
Italy, a NATO member with growing defence interests in the Indo-Pacific, stands to benefit from India’s expanding defence market as New Delhi continues to push for greater indigenous manufacturing while selectively welcoming foreign technology transfers.