**Summary:**
The 7th meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation (JCDC) was held in New Delhi on August 28, 2025. The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary Shri Amitabh Prasad (India) and Staff Maj Gen Saad Mohammed H Alkathiri (Saudi Arabia). Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral defence cooperation, noting satisfaction with the implementation of decisions from the previous JCDC meeting. Discussions focused on enhancing collaboration in training, industrial partnerships, maritime cooperation, and military exercises. India offered training opportunities to the Saudi Armed Forces and explored cooperation in cyber security, information technology, disaster management, and tactical communication. India highlighted its advancements in defence manufacturing, showcasing "Made-in-India" equipment, and explored opportunities for joint manufacturing and partnerships in defence equipment with Saudi Arabia. Both co-chairs acknowledged the successful conduct of Navy and Army Staff Talks in 2025 and agreed to continue these discussions. The deepening defence partnership between India and Saudi Arabia includes the addition of a Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation under the Strategic Partnership Council, established during the Prime Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia in April 2025.
Key Entities Referenced
India-Saudi Arabia Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation: A bilateral committee between India and Saudi Arabia focused on strengthening defence cooperation.
New Delhi: The location where the 7th meeting of the India-Saudi Arabia Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation was held. New Delhi is a city and a union territory of India.
Shri Amitabh Prasad: Joint Secretary representing the Indian side as co-chair of the JCDC meeting.
Staff Maj Gen Saad Mohammed H Alkathiri: Representative from the Saudi side as co-chair of the JCDC meeting.
Saudi Armed Forces: The military forces of Saudi Arabia, to whom India offered training.
MadeinIndia: An initiative to promote and showcase India's capabilities in defence manufacturing and state-of-the-art equipment.
Strategic Partnership Council: A council under which a Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation was added, during the Prime Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia in April 2025, to deepen the defence partnership.
April 2025: The time of the Prime Minister's visit to Saudi Arabia when the Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation was established under the Strategic Partnership Council
Ministry of Defence
7th meeting of India-Saudi Arabia Joint Committee
on Defence Cooperation held in New Delhi
Posted On: 28 AUG 2025 6:29PM by PIB Delhi
th
The 7 meeting of India-Saudi Arabia Joint Committee on Defence Cooperation (JCDC) took place in New
Delhi on August 28, 2025. The meeting was co-chaired by Joint Secretary Shri Amitabh Prasad from the
Indian side and Staff Maj Gen Saad Mohammed H Alkathiri from the Saudi side.
Both sides reiterated their commitment to further strengthening bilateral defence cooperation and
expressed happiness on the execution of most of the significant decisions taken during the previous
JCDC meeting. With a view to strengthen defence ties and explore new avenues of collaboration,
the two countries held discussions in areas such as training cooperation, industrial partnerships,
maritime cooperation & military exercises.
The two sides discussed their respective training capabilities and requirements. India offered to provide
training to the Saudi Armed Forces and discussed cooperation in Cyber, IT, disaster management & tactical
communication.
The Indian side highlighted India’s growing prowess in defence manufacturing and showcased
Made-in-India state-of-the-art equipment. Opportunities were explored for joint manufacturing and
partnership in defence equipment with Saudi Arabia. The co-chairs expressed satisfaction on the
successful conduct of the Navy & Army Staff Talks this year and agreed to continue with the
deliberations.
India and Saudi Arabia share a steadily deepening defence partnership. It is reflected by the
addition of a Ministerial Committee on Defence Cooperation under the Strategic Partnership Council
during the visit of the Prime Minister to Saudi Arabia in April 2025.
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SR/Savvy
(Release ID: 2161622)