Prague: Underlining the growing strategic defence partnership, the 7th India-Czechia Joint Defence Committee Meeting concluded successfully in Prague from October 7 to 9.
Leading the Indian delegation, Additional Secretary and Director General (Acquisition) A. Anbarasu, and on the Czech side, Radka Konderlova, Director General of the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Czech Ministry of Defence, spearheaded talks aimed at expanding collaboration.
In a post on X, India’s Ministry of Defence said: “Addl Secy & DG (Acquisition) Shri A. Anbarasu led the Indian delegation for the 7th India–Czechia Joint Defence Committee Meeting held in Prague from 7–9 Oct 2025. Talks focused on defence industrial collaboration, military training & expanding bilateral cooperation. Czech side was led by Ms Radka Konderlová, Director General of the Industrial Cooperation Division, Czech MoD. An India–Czechia Defence Industry Seminar also saw active participation from both sides, fostering new avenues of partnership.”
The meeting underscored mutual intent to scale up cooperation in key sectors such as defence production, exchange of training programmes, and technology sharing. The accompanying India–Czechia Defence Industry Seminar was attended by industry and government representatives from both nations, providing a platform for establishing new partnerships and joint initiatives.
While specific agreements or MoUs have not yet been publicly disclosed, both delegations reportedly emphasised strengthening defence industrial bases, enabling greater interoperability, and jointly exploring future defence technology projects.
These developments come against the backdrop of an evolving India Czechia Strategic Partnership on Innovation, launched in January 2024, which already includes collaboration across high technology, research, and defence sectors.
India and the Czech Republic have maintained warm and historically rich relations, dating back to medieval times. The Kingdom of Bohemia (now part of modern Czechia) was an early trading partner of India, exchanging precious commodities and spices. In the late 18th and 19th centuries, during the Czech National Revival, scholars in the Czech lands drew inspiration from ancient Indian culture and languages, noting linguistic parallels and affinities with Sanskrit.
As India and Czechia continue to widen their engagement, initiatives like this Joint Defence Committee meeting and industry seminars reflect a maturing bilateral relationship, accelerating strategic, technological, and defence integration between the two democracies.
(IANS)
