Rajnath to visit Italy, France to strengthen defence ties

New Delhi, Oct 8: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh will visit Italy and France from October 9 to 12, said the Ministry of Defence on Sunday. During the first leg of his two-nation visit, Rajnath Singh is scheduled to meet Italian Defence Minister Guido Crisetto in Rome.

The ministry said that the relationship between India and Italy was elevated to Strategic Partnership in March during the visit of the Italian Prime Minister to India.

During the second and final leg, Singh will conduct the 5th Annual Defence Dialogue with his counterpart, French Minister of Armed Forces Sebastian Lecornu in Paris.

India and France recently celebrated 25 years of Strategic Partnership. Both countries enjoy a deep and wide-ranging bilateral defence relationship, including significant industrial cooperation, the defence ministry official added.