The Aryavarth Express
Bengaluru: India on Tuesday underlined its growing focus on self-reliance in defence and expanding strategic partnerships as the Army showcased its indigenous operational and technological capabilities to visiting Greek Defence Minister Nikolaos Dendias during his tour of the Bengaluru Military Station.
Dendias visited the station on Sunday, where he witnessed live demonstrations of indigenous drone systems and advanced simulators at the 515 Army Base Workshop. The visit also included equipment displays by elite units of the Indian Army, including the Special Forces and Combat Engineers, offering an overview of India’s evolving combat readiness and technological innovation.
In a post on X, the Indian Army said the Greek defence minister praised its professionalism, preparedness and emphasis on innovation, and noted the force’s continued commitment to transformation and indigenisation.
The visit to Bengaluru followed high-level bilateral talks in New Delhi on Monday, when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met his Greek counterpart. The two sides agreed to deepen defence cooperation, including the deployment of a Greek International Liaison Officer at the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR) in Gurugram, a move aimed at strengthening maritime domain awareness and cooperation.
During the meeting, India and Greece signed a Joint Declaration of Intent to enhance bilateral defence industrial cooperation, which will form the basis of a five-year roadmap. The two ministers also exchanged the Bilateral Military Cooperation Plan for 2026, outlining the scope and direction of future military engagements between their armed forces, according to a Ministry of Defence statement.
Singh said India attaches great importance to its “longstanding and time-tested” partnership with Greece, noting that bilateral ties were elevated to a Strategic Partnership during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Greece in 2023, and further strengthened by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’s reciprocal visit to India in February 2024.
Welcoming Greece’s decision to position a liaison officer at the IFC-IOR, Singh described it as a significant step towards enhancing maritime cooperation between two ancient seafaring nations. He also expressed confidence that defence ties would continue to expand in line with India’s Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative and Greece’s defence reforms under Agenda 2030.
The two ministers discussed regional and global security challenges and acknowledged growing convergence between India and Greece on maritime security and strategic issues. Both sides reiterated that the India–Greece Strategic Partnership is anchored in mutual respect, shared democratic values and a commitment to stability in the wider region.
