France's Defence Minister Florence Parly to meet PM Narendra Modi in Delhi today

French Defence Minister, Florence Parly arrived in India to deepen Indo-French strategic and defence cooperation, on December 17. After attending the debate on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, with Dr Mohan Kumar, Chairman of the Research and Information System for Developing Countries and former Indian Ambassador to France, she is now likely to call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi.

She will then have the Annual Defence Dialogue with her Indian counterpart, Rajnath Singh. France's Defence Minister Florence Parly stated earlier today that her country is open and ready to deliver additional Rafale fighter jets to India if that is required. She further asserted that France is completely committed to the 'Make in India' initiative.

France's Defence Minister Parly arrived in India with the purpose of deepening the two nations' strategic and defence ties. The discussions are expected to address a wide variety of Indo-French defence topics, including operational defence coordination, particularly maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, an industrial and technological partnership linked with Make in India, and counter-terrorism cooperation.

Earlier, in October, India and France committed to strengthening their defence and security cooperation by strengthening intelligence and information sharing, expanding mutual capabilities, and launching new initiatives in the marine, space, and cyber sectors. The two countries decided to strengthen defence ties at a meeting of the India-France strategic dialogue in Paris co-chaired by NSA Ajit Doval and Emmanuel Bonne, the Diplomatic Advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron.

Defence Minister Parly to discuss regional security issues with NSA Doval

Later today, Parly will also meet Ajit Doval, PM Modi's National Security Adviser, specifically to discuss regional security issues. She will pay her respects to the soldiers of India at the National War Memorial in Delhi. She will also pay her tributes to CDS General Bipin Rawat, who died tragically.

The embassy stated, "It comes in the wake of several major bilateral air, navy, and army exercises this year: Desert Knight 21 in January, Varuna in April, Shakti in November. Minister Parly will stress France and India's joint commitment to answering the challenges of the Indo-Pacific by bringing together friendly powers to defend the rule of law, offering a positive agenda to the countries of the region, and rejecting all forms of hegemony."

In addition, the French Minister will discuss the recently announced EU Strategy for Indo-Pacific Cooperation, which has a multiplier impact on this comprehensive approach for the region. When France assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1, 2022, the Indo-Pacific and India will be a top priority, according to the Defence Minister.

Image: PMO