India, Czechia hold 7th Joint Defence Committee meeting in Prague to expand bilateral cooperation

The Indian delegation was led by Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition) A. Anbarasu, while the Czech side was headed by Radka Konderlova, Director General of the Industrial Cooperation Division at the Czech Ministry of Defence.

The talks centred on new opportunities for joint defence production, research and development, technology sharing, and capacity-building. Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepen cooperation in defence manufacturing and training, in line with their growing strategic partnership.

An India-Czechia Defence Industry Seminar was also held alongside the meeting, which saw active participation from defence industries and representatives of both countries. The seminar served as a platform to explore new avenues for partnership and enhance industrial engagement between Indian and Czech defence companies.

India and the Czech Republic share a long-standing defence relationship dating back to the establishment of diplomatic ties with Czechoslovakia in 1947. Following the country's dissolution in 1993, India immediately recognised the Czech Republic, and the two nations have since maintained close cooperation, especially in defence and industrial development, as per Ministry of External Affairs.

Bilateral defence cooperation gained renewed momentum with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation in October 2003, leading to the creation of the Joint Defence Committee. Six JDC meetings have been held so far, with the last one taking place in New Delhi in February 2020.

Czech defence companies have been regular suppliers of military equipment to the Indian armed forces and continue to explore collaborative projects in line with India's 'Make in India' and 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' initiatives.

The latest JDC meeting builds on the outcomes of Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala's visit to India in January 2024, during which both sides underlined the importance of innovation in defence technology, R&D, and joint production.

Following that visit, a joint statement was issued by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, "Both partners underline the importance of innovations in the defence field and the defence industry. They note with satisfaction the existing connections among their entities in these areas and are committed to further encouraging cooperation, including R&D, training, and innovative production solutions involving Czech and Indian stakeholders."

Both partners also reaffirmed their shared intent to enhance cooperation in cybersecurity, countering hybrid threats, CBRN defence, and space security, as well as to continue coordination in multilateral forums such as the United Nations on cyber and security issues of mutual interest. (ANI)