India and Fiji Strengthen Defense Ties in Joint Working Group Meeting

New Delhi, September 28 (Udaipur Kiran) : India and Fiji have taken significant steps to bolster their bilateral defense partnership, as discussed during the recent Joint Working Group (JWG) meeting held in New Delhi. On September 28, officials reviewed existing defense cooperation and explored new avenues for collaboration. The Indian Ministry of Defence shared details of the meeting on social media platform X, stating that it was co-chaired by Amitabh Prasad, Joint Secretary of International Cooperation, and Mason Smith, Permanent Secretary for Defence and Veterans Affairs of Fiji.The discussions centered on enhancing the bilateral defense partnership and evaluating ongoing cooperation efforts. In a related development, India also engaged in discussions with Poland on the same day to strengthen institutional defense and defense industrial cooperation. The meeting, co-chaired by Sanjeev Kumar, Secretary of Defence Production, and Poland's State Secretary and Deputy Minister Magdalena Sobkowicz-Jarneka, focused on implementing the joint action plan for 2024-2028.Prior to this, on September 4, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. S. Jaishankar met with Poland's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski in Warsaw to review the progress of the joint action plan. Following the meeting, Jaishankar highlighted on X the importance of deepening India-EU cooperation, emphasizing Poland's support in this regard. He expressed confidence that the implementation of the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) would further strengthen bilateral ties and addressed global challenges such as supply chain resilience and food security.During his European visit, Jaishankar also met with Polish President Karol Nawrocki to discuss the positive trajectory of the India-Poland strategic partnership, exchanging views on issues including the Ukraine conflict and broader regional dynamics.