France 'fully committed' to PM Modi's 'Make in India' initiative says Defence Min Parly

Minister for the Armed Forces of France, Florence Parly on Friday, December 16 stated that France is "fully committed to the Make-in-India initiative" and will do further integration of Indian manufacturers into France's global supply chains, according to ANI. "Make-in-India has been a reality for the French industry for several years particularly for defence equipment such as submarines," French minister said. She will hold a dialogue with the Indian government about a range of issues relating to maritime security.

To fulfill India's vision of 'Make-in-India,' France is "ready to answer any additional needs or requests that could be made by India," said the French Defence Minister, who is also expected to meet PM Narendra Modi. Parly hailed the partnership between India and France as she stressed that the trust between the two countries has “developed and blossomed considerably in recent years to such an extent that the distance between the Ganges and the Seine sometimes seems to be lessened.” She arrived in India with an aim to strengthen the close bilateral strategic ties between the two allies India and France. 

Parly also lauded the diplomatic relations between the two countries as she said: "Our relationship is not of states to states it is the friendship between two peoples who strongly cherished their diversity and share universal values.” 

During the webinar with Dr. Mohan Kumar, Chairman of research and Information system for developing countries and former ambassador of India to France, French Defence Minister Florence Parly stressed that both India and France have been committed to maintaining the national sovereignty and independence of each other, adding “our industrial partnership is proof of that.” She emphasized that Paris very much understood the necessity of the Indian content, and was fully committed to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 'Make-in-India' initiative. 

French Defence Minister to hold dialogue with India on maritime security in Indo-Pacific region

French Defence Minister, who will hold bilateral dialogue with India on Indo Pacific security and defence cooperation said that India's Rafale fighter aircraft will soon be delivered. "We're open and ready to provide any other Rafale if this is India's decision," she said at the meeting.  As a part of the France-India defence cooperation, Indian Air Force has already received around 30 Rafale combat aircraft from France as it is ready to upgrade its fleet from January 2022.

Last month, a high-level team of Indian Air Force officers travelled to France to evaluate the performance of the testbed aircraft with tail number RB-008 at the Istres air base there, the government sources had informed ANI. “The aircraft has been equipped with all the India Specific Enhancements agreed upon between the two sides in 2016,” ANI quoted a government official source as saying. 

French Defence Minister Florence Parly’s visit will cover in-depth discussions with India on elements of Indo-French defence collaboration, including operational defence cooperation, particularly maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, industrial and technology cooperation in line with Make in India, and counter-terrorism cooperation. Parly will also hold the Annual Defence Dialogue with Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.