NEW DELHI, October 29. /TASS/. Representatives of the Indian and Russian armed forces discussed prospects for strengthening defense cooperation and exploring new areas of interaction at the fifth meeting of the working group on defense and military-technical cooperation, held in New Delhi on October 28-29.

According to the Indian Armed Forces Integrated Defense Headquarters, the meeting confirmed the two countries’ commitment to deepening their special and privileged strategic partnership. "Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to elevating the India-Russia defense cooperation, paving the way for focused engagements, enhanced training exchanges and new initiatives under the special and privileged strategic partnership," the headquarters said on X.

The discussions focused on reinforcing existing defense cooperation and exploring new initiatives within the current bilateral framework, the headquarters added.

The meeting was co-chaired by Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit, Chief of Integrated Defense Staff, and Lt Gen Igor Dylevsky, Deputy Chief of Russia's Main Operational Directorate.

In 2000, Russia and India signed a declaration on strategic partnership, which was upgraded to a special privileged strategic partnership in 2020. The working group serves as a key forum for discussing defense cooperation, evaluating military commitments, and identifying new areas of collaboration to address emerging security challenges.