New Delhi: India and France on Monday held a bilateral dialogue to discuss disarmament and non-proliferation relating to nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons in the national capital.
The two sides also discussed outer space security, conventional weapons including AI in the military domain and Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, and multilateral export control regimes.
"India-France Bilateral Dialogue on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation was held on 4 March 2024 in New Delhi. The two sides discussed developments in the field of disarmament and non-proliferation relating to the nuclear, chemical, biological domains, as well as outer space security, conventional weapons including AI in the military domain and Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems, and multilateral export control regimes," the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release.
Earlier today, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar received French Foreign Ministry’s Secretary General Anne-Marie Descotes.
"Good to receive Secretary General Anne-Marie Descotes of France this morning. Our strategic partnership is growing from strength to strength. Confident that the Foreign Office Consultations and Strategic Space Dialogue will further enhance its momentum," Jaishankar posted on X.
Meanwhile, disarmament is one of India's priority areas in the 78th UNGA session. New Delhi aims to take forward its pragmatic and constructive approach at the First Committee and UN Disarmament Commission by engaging with all partners on issues related to outer space, cyberspace, etc. The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly was opened on September 5, 2023.
The Conference on Disarmament (CD) is a multilateral disarmament forum established in 1979. It operates under the auspices of the United Nations and is based in Geneva, Switzerland. The primary objective of the CD is to negotiate and promote arms control and disarmament agreements, reported ANI.