French Defense Minister Florence Parly will pay an official visit to India on September 10 to attend the induction ceremony of the first batch of Rafale fighter jets in the Indian Air Force (IAF) and to boost cooperation in key areas such as the Indo -Pacific and joint exercises.
This will be Parly’s third official visit to India since 2017 and one of his first overseas trips since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Also read: 5 things to know about the induction of Rafale jets at IAF in Ambala
Parly’s visit is aimed at strengthening France’s “forward-thinking defense cooperation with India, its main Asian strategic partner,” according to a statement issued by the French embassy on Wednesday.
He will meet with his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh and with national security adviser Ajit Doval.
“Their wide-ranging discussions will cover, among other things, the industrial and technology partnership in line with the Make in India program, defense operational cooperation, in particular maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, the modalities of continuation of the exercises. joint armed forces in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic, counterterrorism cooperation, as well as major regional and international strategic issues, ”the statement said.
These talks will also drive President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decision to deepen and expand the bilateral partnership, with strategic autonomy and upholding a multipolar order as its cornerstones, he said.
In a video message posted on Twitter, French Ambassador Emmanuel Lenain described the visit as one of the “next steps” in the bilateral relationship.
During her visit to Ambala Air Force Station for the Rafale jets induction ceremony, Parly will be greeted by Defense Minister Singh and IAF Chief Air Chief Marshall RKS Bhadauria.
The French minister’s delegation will include senior executives from Dassault Aviation, Thales Group, Safran and MBDA, representing large French defense companies that have partnered with Indian companies as part of the Rafale deal.
Parly will also pay a floral tribute to the soldiers of India at the National War Memorial in Delhi.
France has become one of India’s closest partners in the fields of defense and security. In addition to supporting the efforts of global bodies such as the UN and the Financial Action Task Force to combat terrorism emanating from Pakistan, France recently provided India with 120 ventilators and 50,000 test kits to counter the Covid-19 pandemic. It has also announced that it will provide financial assistance of up to 200 million euros to support vulnerable sectors of society affected by the pandemic.
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