'Rafale Makes Your Country Stronger, Don't Know Why People Criticise': Macron Calls India-France Deal 'Legitimate' Ambition

New Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday delivered a robust defence of the deepening defence partnership between Paris and New Delhi, specifically addressing India’s move to acquire and co-produce 114 Rafale Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA).

On the sidelines of the AI-India Impact Summit, President Macron dismissed domestic and international critics of the deal, framing the massive procurement as a vital step toward Indian sovereignty and job creation.

Strengthening the 'Strategic Coordination'

Responding to questions regarding the criticism often aimed at large-scale defence acquisitions, Macron emphasized the tangible benefits for the Indian economy and the security of the country.

"I don't see how people can criticise because it makes your country stronger, it increases the strategic coordination between us, and it creates more jobs here," Macron stated.

"We are extremely committed to having the maximum number of Indian components and manufacturing the maximum number of critical devices in India," he added.

The President noted that this "legitimate" ambition for co-production aligns with the broader "direction of history." He predicted that by 2040 and 2050, the global landscape, specifically the advancement of combat aviation by regional powers like China, will necessitate the robust capabilities that the Rafale provides.

Macron also highlighted how this project will provide a major boost to the government's “Make in India” mission.

“We don't have just a strategic partnership, we have a special global strategic partnership which is unique both for India and France. On Rafale, what we want to do is to expand. India confirmed a few days ago its willingness to indeed command a new bunch of Rafale 114, and to co-produce. The 'Make in India' will be core in this new command. On top of that, we want to improve the cooperation in maintenance capacities in terms of diversification of approach and to be much more of a mutual agreement cooperation... I hope we'll do the same on submarines,” he said. 

The 'Make in India' Blueprint

The deal, recently cleared by the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) led by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, marks a historic shift in French defence policy. For the first time, the Rafale will be manufactured outside of France.

Key highlights of the industrial partnership include:

-Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh confirmed a 40% to 50% localisation rate under the 'Make in India' initiative.

-The program is being executed via a transparent government-to-government agreement with no intermediaries.

-The deal allows for the integration of indigenous Indian weapons and sensors onto the French platform.

Macron pointed to the existing Tata-Airbus partnership as the operational rationale for the Rafale project, promising, "We will do the same for the Rafale; you can count on us."

Defining Free Speech in the Digital Age

Beyond defence, Macron addressed the complexities of modern discourse and the rise of online radicalization. He offered a nuanced definition of free speech, contrasting it with the "bias" of tech platforms.

"Free speech means I will listen to you, and you will listen to me. We are in an equal relationship," Macron said.

"A lot of people defending free speech do it based on an algorithm without any transparency... When people clearly help hate speech, racist speech, to be spread all around the place, it’s not about free speech," he added.

A Message to Europe

President Macron also used the Indian example to issue a wake-up call to his European neighbors. He urged the European Union to consolidate its defence industries and adopt a "European standard" to remain competitive against rising global powers.

He argued that strategic state decisions must outweigh corporate interests to prevent Europe from becoming "irrelevant" on the global stage, warning that without a unified model, "we will have nothing."

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