India & EU Forge Defence Synergy: Rajnath Singh, Kaja Kallas on Strategic Ties

The minister stated that India and the EU share the principles of democracy, pluralism and the rule of law, which underpin the steadily deepening partnership. He added that it is these values which India seeks to translate into practical cooperation for global stability, sustainable growth and inclusive prosperity.

Rajnath Singh emphasised that Indian and EU defence industries must synergise their efforts for the larger global good. It complements India's vision of Aatmanirbhar Bharat while aligning with the EU's pursuit of strategic autonomy.

The partnership will become a force multiplier by integrating supply chains for building trusted defence ecosystems and future-ready capabilities. He said that India's defence industry can play a meaningful role in the EU's 'ReArm initiative', especially as the EU seeks to rapidly diversify suppliers and de-risk dependencies. He termed Kallas' visit to India as special, as it falls on the 77th Republic Day.

Kaja Kallas expressed gratitude to be a part of India's 77th Republic Day celebrations, especially the EU presence in the parade at Kartavya Path. She stated that India and the EU must work together in the Indian Ocean Region and learn from each other's best practices through joint exercises.

The Minister welcomed the EU proposal of positioning a Liaison Officer (LO) at the Indian Navy's Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram. The EU LO at IFC-IOR would enhance operational coordination with the Indian Navy for counter-piracy and threat assessment in the Indian Ocean Region.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, after signing the security and defence partnership with European Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas, stressed that he is looking forward to "greater cooperation" between India and the EU countries.

In a post on X, Singh noted that the meeting focused on a range of bilateral security and defence issues.

"Delighted to meet Vice President (HRVP) of the European Union Ms. Kaja Kallas in New Delhi today. Discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues including oppurtunities for integrating supply chains for building trusted defence ecosystems and future-ready capabilities. Looking forward to greater cooperation between India and the EU countries. @kajakallas," Rajnath Singh said.

After India and the European Union signed the security and defence partnership, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas on Tuesday urged deepening ties across multilateral fora for further developing defence cooperation.

She made the remarks during the delegation-level talks with Rajnath Singh on Tuesday here in the national capital.Appreciating the Republic Day celebrations, she said, "Thank you very much for welcoming us and yesterday, Republic Day was quite an experience. Thank you for that as well...It was a proud moment to see that our operations were also a part of this parade. It shows how we have been able to work together."

"The signing of the Security and Defence Partnership is a milestone, and we can build on that. There is so much more we can work together on in the multilateral fora, as well as bilaterally, to further develop defence cooperation. I really look forward to our discussions today and further cooperation in the future," she added.

- ANI