A discussion was held on opportunities for joint manufacturing and partnership in defence equipment with Saudi Arabia during the 7th meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation (JCDC) here on Thursday.
The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary Amitabh Prasad from the Indian side and Staff Maj Gen Saad Mohammed H Alkathiri from the Saudi side. A statement from the Ministry of Defence stated that both sides reiterated their commitment to further strengthening bilateral defence cooperation and expressed happiness with the execution of most of the significant decisions taken during the previous JCDC meeting.
To strengthen defence ties and explore new areas of collaboration, the two countries held discussions on training cooperation, industrial partnerships, maritime collaboration, and joint military exercises. Discussions were also held regarding the training capabilities and requirements of both countries. India offered to provide training to the Saudi Armed Forces and discussed cooperation in Cyber, IT, disaster management, and tactical communication.
India’s growing prowess in defence manufacturing and the showcased Made-in-India state-of-the-art equipment were also discussed. The co-chairs also expressed satisfaction with the successful conduct of the Navy and Army Staff Talks this year and agreed to continue with the deliberations, the statement added.