Defence Secretary Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh concluded a two-day visit to Armenia from August 17-18, 2026, during which he held a series of high-level meetings with Armenian defence and government officials to review and further strengthen the growing India-Armenia defence partnership.
During the visit, Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh held bilateral discussions with Armenian Deputy Defence Minister Mr Karen Brutyan and First Deputy Defence Minister and Chief of General Staff Mr Edward Asryan. The talks covered the full spectrum of ongoing defence and military-technical cooperation between the two countries, with particular focus on capacity building, training, military-technical cooperation, and defence research and development.
A significant outcome of the discussions was the exchange of Terms of Reference for institutionalising Joint Services Staff Talks between the Indian and Armenian Armed Forces. The mechanism is expected to provide a structured platform for strengthening military-to-military engagement and enhancing cooperation across the three Services.
The Defence Secretary also met Armenia’s Minister of Hi-Tech Industry, Mr Davit Tradevosyan, and discussed proposals for cooperation in defence research and development. Coinciding with the visit, the two Defence Ministries concluded and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at expanding collaboration in joint innovation, research and related areas.
In another high-level engagement, Shri Rajesh Kumar Singh called on Armenian Defence Minister Mr Suren Papikyan. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral defence ties and explored new avenues for expanding military-technical cooperation.
As part of his programme, the Defence Secretary visited the Vazgen Sargsyan Military Academy and interacted with its Head and faculty members. During his visit to the Academy’s IT Lab, established with Indian assistance, he highlighted capacity building and training as key pillars of India-Armenia defence cooperation.
The Defence Secretary also held discussions with Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Mr Mnatsakan Safaryan in Yerevan. The meeting focused on the expanding strategic and defence partnership between the two countries. Against the backdrop of Armenia’s efforts to diversify its defence procurement sources, India has emerged as an important partner in military-technical cooperation.
The two sides also noted their shared perspectives on multilateralism and strategic autonomy, reflecting growing convergence on a range of regional and global issues.
The visit underscored the deepening strategic convergence between India and Armenia and reaffirmed the commitment of both countries to expand their already robust defence partnership. The engagements are expected to provide further momentum to cooperation in military-technical collaboration, training, innovation, research and defence capability development.
