CDS Gen Anil Chauhan leads defence delegation to Armenia to boost defence ties

Yerevan [Armenia], February 2 (ANI): An Indian defence delegation led by Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has arrived in Armenia on a four-day official visit aimed at advancing bilateral defence engagement and strengthening long-term security cooperation between the two countries.
Sharing details of the visit on X, the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff said, "An Indian defence delegation led by General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff #CDS, reached Republic of Armenia on a four-day official visit on 01 Feb. The visit marks an important step in taking forward shared strategic interests and enhancing long-term defence and security collaboration between the two Nations. The delegation was warmly received in Yerevan by Nilakshi Saha Sinha, Ambassador of India to Armenia and Temur Shahnazaryan, Deputy Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia."

An Indian defence delegation led by General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff #CDS, reached Republic of Armenia on a four days official visit on 01 Feb.

The visit marks an important step in taking forward shared strategic interests and enhancing long-term defence and… pic.twitter.com/K7YPUEXMYj

— HQ IDS (@HQ_IDS_India) February 2, 2026

The visit comes as part of a series of ongoing defence engagements between India and Armenia, including the Joint Working Group Meeting on Defence Cooperation held in Hyderabad, Telangana, on October 23, 2025, where both sides exchanged views on strengthening bilateral defence ties.
Providing details of that meeting, the Ministry of Defence said in a post on X, "The Joint Working Group Meeting on Defence Cooperation between India and Armenia was held in Hyderabad today. Both countries exchanged views on bilateral defence cooperation, defence industrial collaboration amongst other issues of mutual interest in security domain. The Indian delegation was led by Vishwesh Negi, Joint Secretary (IC) and the Armenian delegation was led by Levon Ayvazyan, Head of Policy and International Military Cooperation Department, MoD of Armenia."
Beyond defence cooperation, these engagements are part of broader diplomatic outreach between the two nations, reflected in Secretary (West) Sibi George representing India at Armenia's National Day celebrations on October 1, where he reaffirmed commitment to the longstanding India-Armenia friendship.
The details were shared by the Ministry of External Affairs in a post on X, highlighting that ties between India and Armenia are rooted in history and built on recent high-level engagements among the leadership of both countries. "Secretary (West) Sibi George represented India at the National Day celebrations of the Republic of Armenia. He reaffirmed commitment to the longstanding friendship rooted in history, building on recent high level engagements among the leadership of both countries," the MEA spokesperson posted on X.
The diplomatic momentum was also reflected earlier in June when External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in Marseille, where they held a "useful discussion on our close cooperation and regional developments".
Further strengthening institutional ties, India and Armenia signed two major Memoranda of Understanding on March 11 during Mirzoyan's visit to India, including an MoU between India's Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and Armenia's Center of Drug and Medical Technology Expertise on cooperation in regulating medical products. (ANI)