On Tuesday, 13 October, a bilateral session in New Delhi brought together Rajnath Singh, who holds the defence portfolio, and Karel Havlíček, serving as First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Industry and Trade for the Czech Republic. The two sides examined the breadth of defence industrial cooperation already in place and identified potential pathways for deepening the partnership further.
Talks between the two leaders produced an endorsement of the bilateral relationship, with joint ventures already operating cited as evidence of productive ties, alongside a shared commitment to deepen cooperation in the defence industry. Discussions ranged across established defence industrial ties as well as avenues for drawing the two nations' industries into closer collaboration.
Under the India-Czech Joint Defence Committee, representatives from both countries reached an understanding to expand their working relationship, with domestic manufacturing priorities — including the Aatmanirbhar Bharat initiative — placed at the centre of the agenda. Broader defence-industrial cooperation channelled through the Joint Defence Committee formed a central part of the discussion, with both sides pointing to domestic manufacturing programmes, including Aatmanirbhar Bharat, as a framework for deepening those ties.
Delegates from each party indicated a shared interest in deepening ties through the joint frameworks already in place, while building on the ground covered in earlier rounds. Peace and security matters also formed part of the discussions.
Both sides put on record their view that closer collaboration would help keep the region on a stable footing, and each party restated its intent to deepen the ties binding the two nations together. Both Singh and Havlíček pointed to a foundation built on longstanding historical and cultural connections between India and the Czech Republic, alongside a tradition of mutual trust and respect that has shaped the two countries' engagement. Backing for those foundational pillars was restated, with both sides pointing to their role in driving collaboration across industrial and strategic fields.
Over four days in India, Havlíček's schedule takes in meetings with government ministries, trade bodies, and business figures. Scheduled stops at industrial facilities across Bengaluru and Mumbai form part of the itinerary, with each visit aimed at opening doors to wider cooperation on both manufacturing and trade fronts.
Broader efforts to build up homegrown defence production and forge overseas partnerships — aimed at advancing technology exchange, industrial cooperation, and reduced reliance on foreign suppliers — form the backdrop against which the visit is taking place. Talks under way are anticipated by both sides to add impetus to the defence industrial relationship between India and the Czech Republic, with both nations looking to build on existing joint ventures and explore additional avenues for cooperation through shared institutional channels.
