India and Armenia have carried out a wide-ranging review of their bilateral relationship during the latest Foreign Office Consultations, underscoring the growing depth of engagement between the two countries across diplomatic, economic, technological and strategic sectors.

The consultations were co-chaired by Secretary (West) Sibi George and Armenia's Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan.

In a message shared by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the ministry stated: “Secretary (West) @AmbSibiGeorge co-chaired the India-Armenia Foreign Office Consultations with Mr. Mnatsakan Safaryan, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia.”

During the discussions, both sides assessed the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation, including high-level political exchanges, trade and investment, science and technology, artificial intelligence, education, culture and people-to-people contacts.

According to the MEA, the two delegations also reviewed opportunities to further expand cooperation in innovation-driven sectors alongside traditional areas of partnership.

The ministry said: “They also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.”

The latest round of talks builds upon the momentum generated during the 11th India-Armenia Foreign Office Consultations held in Yerevan last year, where both countries discussed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and coordinated positions on regional and international developments, including cooperation in multilateral forums.

That meeting also resulted in the signing of an agreement on cooperation in public health and medical science between India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and Armenia's Ministry of Health, reflecting a growing emphasis on collaboration beyond strategic and economic domains.

Both countries had agreed that the next round of consultations would take place in India on a mutually convenient date in 2026, demonstrating the institutional continuity of the dialogue mechanism.

India and Armenia have steadily broadened their engagement in recent years, with cooperation extending into technology, healthcare, education and connectivity initiatives. Official exchanges have increasingly focused on identifying new avenues for collaboration in emerging sectors such as artificial intelligence and advanced technologies.

Defence cooperation has also become an increasingly significant pillar of the bilateral relationship.

On 23 October, officials from the two countries met in Hyderabad, Telangana, for a Joint Working Group Meeting on Defence Cooperation, where they reviewed ongoing defence ties, defence industrial collaboration and wider security-related issues.

The Indian delegation was led by Joint Secretary Vishwesh Negi, while the Armenian side was headed by Levon Ayvazyan, Head of the Policy and International Military Cooperation Department of Armenia's Ministry of Defence.

The defence dialogue highlighted the growing strategic dimension of India-Armenia relations, complementing broader diplomatic efforts aimed at strengthening cooperation across multiple sectors and enhancing coordination on issues of mutual regional and global interest.

ANI