NEW DELHI: The military officials of India and Italy held discussions on working on new avenues to expand the scope of "military focused cooperation" as part of the institutionalised Military Cooperation Group meeting.

The Ministry of Defence on Saturday said that this was the 13th edition of the India-Italy Military Cooperation Group (MCG) meeting which was successfully conducted from 20-21 March in Rome, Italy. The discussions were focusing on identifying new avenues to expand the scope of bilateral military-focused cooperation, said MoD.

Key agenda points, as per the MoD, included enhanced exchange programs, capability development efforts and strengthening collaboration between the Indian and Italian armed forces. The meeting also reviewed ongoing defence engagements, assessing their progress and exploring ways to optimize future interactions. The meeting was co-chaired by the Deputy Assistant Chief of Integrated Defence Staff IDC (A) from Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS), representing India, and the Deputy Head of the Strategic Direction and Military Cooperation Division of the Italian Defence General Staff, representing Italy.

The MCG serves as a key institutional mechanism to enhance defence cooperation between the armed forces of both nations, fostering stronger military-to-military engagements and strategic collaboration. The ties between the two nations are getting strengthened with steps being taken at wider levels.

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