To this end, both nations held a two-day working subgroup of the Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Military Technical Cooperation in New Delhi, the MoD reported.

During the meeting, the participants discussed initiatives within the scope of the existing bilateral mechanism, reinforced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Moscow and his talks with President Vladimir Putin.

The Sub-Working Group of the Intergovernmental Commission is a forum established to boost defense cooperation through regular operational-level talks between the General Headquarters, the Integrated Defense Staff and the Main Directorate for International Military Cooperation of the Russian Ministry of Defense, Indian officials explained.

Military and military-technical cooperation has traditionally been the mainstay of the Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership between India and Russia, with progress in several decades of joint efforts and fruitful collaboration, led by the Intergovernmental Commission on Military Affairs and Technical Cooperation, in agreement with New Delhi and Moscow.

Regular military and defense contacts, including the Defense Ministers’ meeting in New Delhi in April 2023 on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s Sector Heads Meeting and joint exercises of the two countries’ Armed Forces, are satisfactory for both governments.

In response to India’s search for self-reliance, the partnership is currently being strengthened toward joint research and development, as well as production between the two nations of advanced defense technology and systems, among other aspects, the two sides agreed.

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