India, France Vow Greater Defence & Security Cooperation, Rafale M Gets A Push

NSA Ajit Doval and Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor and G7/G20 Sherpa to the French President on Thursday discussed the Russia-Ukraine War and the situation in Afghanistan

NSA Ajit Doval (L) and French Diplomatic Advisor Emmanuel Bonne

Source : PTI, AFP

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor and G7/G20 Sherpa to the President of France, on Thursday sought to deepen defence ties between both countries in an effort to take their strategic ties to the next level.

This was discussed during the latest round of the Indo-French Strategic Dialogue headed by Doval and Bonne.

Both sides are believed to have discussed India’s decision to procure the French Rafale M fighter jets for the Indian Navy, top sources told ABP LIVE.

According to the sources, the deal to buy 26 Rafale M – the naval variant of the Rafale fighter aircraft – will be signed during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India tentatively in March.

At the strategic dialogue held on Thursday, Doval and Bonne discussed the final details in a follow-up to the understanding reached during the visit of the French Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu to India in November 2022.

The Rafale M, manufactured by Dassault Aviation, emerged as the top choice for the Indian Navy after a stiff competition with American Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet under the country’s Multi-Role Carrier-Borne Fighters (MRCBF) programme.

The Indian Air Force is already using the Rafale fighter planes. If the deal for Rafale M also goes through then it will be easier for the Navy to use the training and maintenance facility in Ambala, said another source.

UKRAINE, AFGHANISTAN ISSUES ON AGENDA

According to Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi, the Indo-French Strategic dialogue also featured the current global security situation in the context of the Russia-Ukraine war, the situation in Afghanistan under the Taliban, and counterterrorism efforts.

“During the strategic dialogue and the meetings, India and France reiterated their commitment to take forward their strategic partnership to ensure peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific based on common beliefs in the rules-based international order and strategic autonomy,” the MEA said in a press statement.

“Both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral defence and security cooperation, including in the South West Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific and pursuit of new initiatives in critical and emerging technologies,” the statement read.

India and France, who have been strategic partners since 1998, also discussed greater cooperation in the Indo-Pacific strategic construct with focus on China.

“The agenda covered all aspects of the Indo-French strategic partnership: defence and security cooperation; major international and regional issues, including the war in Ukraine, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific; counter-terrorism cooperation; cyber-security; space; civil nuclear energy,” read a statement by the Embassy of France.

“On each topic, the two sides agreed to raise the level of ambition of our cooperation even further with the goal of accelerating efforts towards strategic autonomy,” it added.

During the visit, Bonne also called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant.

FRANCE BATS FOR INDIA'S PERMANENT UNSC  SEAT

“He stressed France’s full support for India’s G20 presidency and conveyed President Macron’s message that Indo-French cooperation would be key to tackling global challenges in 2023. In this respect, Mr Bonne also praised the excellent cooperation with India at the United Nations Security Council over the past two years, and reiterated France’s support for a permanent UNSC seat for India,” the Embassy statement further read.

According to the MEA, “Both sides reiterated that in view of the emerging uncertainties and volatile global security environment, there was a need for closer cooperation between India and France, including in the UNSC and other multilateral forums.”

Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India, said that the discussions showed how “close” India and France are on global strategic issues and “how the India-France strategic partnership is key to tackling the pressing challenges of 2023".