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India Czech defence cooperation to expand as Rajnath Singh meets Czech deputy PM Karel Havlicek

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India Czech defence cooperation is set to widen after Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Czech First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade Karel Havlicek in New Delhi on 13 October 2026. The two sides reviewed the full range of their defence industrial ties and agreed to expand them, the defence ministry said.

India Czech defence cooperation: Rajnath Singh with Karel Havlicek in New Delhi
Rajnath Singh with Karel Havlicek in New Delhi Photo: PIB (Government of India, free to use with credit).

Rajnath Singh and Karel Havlicek review joint ventures

According to the ministry, both leaders welcomed the ongoing collaboration and the successful setting up of several joint ventures between Indian and Czech firms. They agreed to take this further, including through the India-Czech Joint Defence Committee, to support Make in India and Aatmanirbhar Bharat. They also discussed peace and security issues and agreed on the need for closer cooperation to keep regional stability. DD News and Akashvani News reported the same outcome.

Key Facts

  • Meeting: 13 October 2026, New Delhi
  • Czech side: First Deputy PM Karel Havlicek
  • Visit: 4 days, with stops in Bengaluru and Mumbai
  • Mechanism: India-Czech Joint Defence Committee
  • Defence named a key sector: January 2024

Defence industrial collaboration beyond the talks

The ministry said the partnership rests on historical and cultural ties and on shared values of mutual trust and respect. PTI, as carried by ThePrint, reported that the two countries had identified defence as one of a handful of key sectors for closer cooperation in January 2024, and that the talks also looked at the possibility of co-developing military hardware. No specific contract, value or new joint venture was announced after the meeting.

Delegation-level talks between the two sides
Delegation-level talks between the two sides Photo: PIB (Government of India, free to use with credit).

India Czech defence cooperation: what comes next

Havlicek is on a four-day visit to India and is meeting several ministries, trade bodies and businesses. He is scheduled to visit industries in Bengaluru and Mumbai during the trip, which is where any company-level deals are most likely to surface. The Joint Defence Committee is the formal channel through which the two governments will take forward the points agreed on Tuesday.

Why It Matters: Central European partners like the Czech Republic bring specialised defence engineering, and more joint ventures mean more manufacturing and technology work inside India.

Also on TrendDesh: Bharat Rice launched for Army troops as FCI pact strengthens military supply chain · Tarang Shakti 2026: IAF chief calls for integrated air power at CAPSS seminar

Source: PIB · DD News · Akashvani News · ThePrint (PTI)

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