India, Saudi Arabia hold 7th joint defence cooperation meeting in New Delhi

New Delhi, Aug 28: India and Saudi Arabia on Thursday held the 7th meeting of the Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation (JCDC) in New Delhi, reaffirming their commitment to deepen bilateral defence ties.

The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad from the Indian Ministry of Defence and Staff Maj Gen Saad Mohammed H. Alkathiri from the Saudi Armed Forces.

According to an official statement, both sides expressed satisfaction over the implementation of key decisions taken during the previous round of talks and explored new avenues of collaboration. The discussions covered training cooperation, industrial partnerships, maritime engagement, and joint military exercises. India offered to provide specialised training to Saudi personnel in areas such as cybersecurity, information technology, disaster management and tactical communication. The Indian side also showcased its expanding defence manufacturing capabilities under the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative, highlighting opportunities for joint production and industrial partnerships with Saudi Arabia.

The two delegations noted the successful conduct of Navy and Army Staff Talks this year and agreed to sustain the momentum. The growing defence partnership received a boost earlier this year with the establishment of a Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation under the India–Saudi Strategic Partnership Council, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Riyadh in April 2025.