France has described India as its “foremost” strategic companion in Asia and Indo-Pacific (File)
New Delhi:
France at present described India as its “foremost” strategic companion in Asia and mentioned the upcoming go to of its Defence Minister Florence Parly to the nation is aimed toward additional strengthening the “forward-looking” defence cooperation with New Delhi.
Ms Parly will go to India on Thursday to attend a ceremony in Ambala to induct the primary batch of 5 Rafale jets into the Indian Air Drive (IAF).
The French Defence Minister will maintain talks together with her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh and Nationwide Safety Advisor Ajit Doval.
A Defence Ministry spokesperson mentioned Ms Parly might be given a ceremonial Guard of Honour on her arrival in Delhi.
The primary batch of 5 Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, practically 4 years after India signed an inter-governmental settlement with France to acquire 36 of the plane at a price of Rs 59,000 crore.
In a press release, the French embassy in New Delhi mentioned the main focus of the talks might be on maritime safety ties within the Indo-Pacific, counter-terror cooperation and strengthening total bilateral defence partnership.
“Their broad-ranging talks will cowl, amongst others, industrial and technological partnership in keeping with the Make in India programme, operational defence cooperation, significantly maritime safety within the Indo-Pacific, modalities of constant the armed forces” joint workouts within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, counter-terrorism cooperation in addition to main regional and worldwide strategic points,” the embassy mentioned.
It mentioned the talks will take ahead the choice of French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deepen and increase the Indo-French partnership with strategic autonomy, and the defence of a multi-polar order as its cornerstones.
Will probably be Ms Parly’s third go to to India since 2017 and one in every of her very first official journeys for the reason that outbreak of the coronavirus epidemic, the embassy mentioned.
The French Defence Minister might be accompanied by high executives from Dassault Aviation, Thales Group, Safran, and MBDA, representing the French defence majors which have been partnering with many Indian firms as a part of the Rafale deal.
“At Ambala, this system will embody ceremonial unveiling of the Rafale plane, a standard ‘Sarva Dharma Puja’, air show by Rafale and Tejas plane in addition to by ‘Sarang Aerobatic Workforce”,” the Defence Ministry mentioned in a press release.
Afterwards, a standard water cannon salute might be given to the Rafale plane, it mentioned.
The Rafale jets, produced by French aerospace main Dassault Aviation, might be formally inducted into the IAF on the ceremony in Ambala air base on Thursday in presence of Mr Singh, Ms Parly and a number of other high army officers.
Throughout her go to to the nationwide capital, Ms Parly may also pay floral tributes to India’s valiant troopers on the Nationwide Battle Memorial.
In a video message posted on Twitter, French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain talked in regards to the strategic ties between the 2 international locations and described the go to of Ms Parly as one of many vital steps additional boosting bilateral relationship.
The ties between India and France are on an upswing in the previous few years with cooperation witnessing a serious growth in key areas.
The areas of defence and safety, civil nuclear cooperation and commerce and funding represent the principal pillars of the Indo-French strategic partnership.
As well as, India and France are more and more engaged in new areas of cooperation equivalent to within the Indian Ocean area, local weather change and sustainable progress and improvement.
The 2 international locations share an in depth diploma of convergence on a spread of regional and world points as properly together with methods to cope with terrorism and extremism.
Each India and France have vital bilateral funding and commerce cooperation. France has emerged as a serious supply of FDI in India with greater than 1,000 French institutions working within the nation with a complete turnover of round USD 20 billion.
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