Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will undertake a three-day official visit to Germany from April 21 to 23, aimed at strengthening the strategic defence partnership between the two countries, the Ministry of Defence said on Sunday.
During the visit, the Defence Minister is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with his German counterpart Boris Pistorius and other senior leaders of the German government.
According to the Ministry of Defence, discussions will focus on enhancing defence industrial collaboration, strengthening military-to-military engagements, and exploring cooperation in emerging domains such as cyber security, artificial intelligence, and drone technologies.
The Ministry said that a Defence Industrial Cooperation Roadmap, along with an Implementing Arrangement for Cooperation in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations training, is expected to be signed in the presence of both Defence Ministers.
The visit will also provide an opportunity to review ongoing defence cooperation initiatives and identify new avenues for collaboration between the defence industries of India and Germany.
The Defence Minister is expected to interact with key representatives of the German defence industry to promote joint development and co-production, in line with the government’s Make-in-India initiative.
This will be the first visit by an Indian Defence Minister to Germany in seven years. The last such visit took place in February 2019, when then Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman travelled to Germany.
The Ministry noted that German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius had visited India in June 2023 and held extensive discussions with Rajnath Singh.
India and Germany share a strong and multifaceted strategic partnership, based on democratic values, rule of law, and a shared commitment to a rules-based international order. Defence and security cooperation has emerged as a key pillar of this partnership in recent years.
