NEW DELHI: France it has supported India in Kashmir and has not allowed China to play any “procedural games” in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), an adviser to the French president said on Thursday.
On a visit to India for the annual strategic dialogue between France and India, Emmanuel Bonne, diplomatic adviser to French President Emmanuel MacronHe said, “When China breaks the rules, we have to be very robust and very clear and this is the meaning of our naval presence in the Indian Ocean.”
Delivering a talk on “France and India: Partners for a stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific”, organized by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), Bonne also said that France is close to QUAD, the US grouping, Japan. , Australia and India, and you may do some naval exercises with them in the future.
Noting that the French Navy is the only European navy patrolling the Taiwan Strait, he said it was not a provocation but a way of affirming the need to abide by international law.
“Let’s not go to the confrontation and I understand that it is much easier to say this from Paris than from Delhi when you almost have a problem in the Himalayas and when you have Pakistan on your border,” Bonne said.
“On direct threats to India, we have always been very clear. Whether in Kashmir, we have been very supportive of India in the Security Council, we have not let the Chinese play any kind of procedural games. When it comes to Himalaya, just check our statements, we are perfectly clear. What we say publicly, we say to the Chinese also in private, there is no ambiguity, “he said.
Speaking about his conversation with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at the Strategic Dialogue earlier in the day, he said that the discussion was about strategic opportunities, as well as the bilateral defense and security relationship. He said military cooperation and the Indian Ocean were also part of the conversation.
“In particular, we are sharing information, we are maneuvering our navies together, our air and space commands are coordinated. We are developing capabilities and cooperating. When it comes to the Indian Ocean, we are working on maritime surveillance,” he said.
Bonne will also visit other Indian dignitaries during his visit. The latest edition of the strategic dialogue was held in February 2020 in Paris.
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