India and France conducted their third annual defence dialogue in New Delhi on Friday. The delegations were led by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly, who is currently on an official visit to India.
During the discussions, the two sides agreed to bolster their bilateral, regional, and defence industrial cooperation. Parly said France is “open and ready” to provide India with all the Rafale fighter jets required. “We are ready to answer any additional needs or requests that could be made by India. We know that an aircraft carrier will soon be delivered. Aircraft are needed,” she added.
India-France Strategic Partnership is more relevant today than ever. I had an excellent meeting with my French counterpart, Ms @florence_parly.
— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) December 17, 2021
A wide range of bilateral, regional and defence industrial cooperation issues were discussed in the Annual Defence Dialogue today. pic.twitter.com/dT23KeUMMt
This is in pursuance of the 2016 Rafale deal, through which France has already delivered 33 out of the 36 promised fighter jets. The remaining three are scheduled to arrive in India next month, while reports suggest that France has been in talks with India for the purchase of 36 additional Rafale jets.
Rajnath Singh also advocated for enhanced industrial cooperation between the two countries. He invited French companies to “either collaborate with Indian companies or simply produce in India.” In this respect, Singh focused on the need to bolster aerospace cooperation to advance India’s campaign for self-reliance in the defence industry. He added that apart from meeting its domestic requirements for defence equipment, India also plans to produce defence goods and technology for sale in the global market.
The Indian defence minister has previously vowed to ensure that 90% of India’s equipment is indigenously manufactured. In fact, India recently signed an agreement with Russia to locally produce over 600,000 AK-203 assault rifles.
In response to Singh’s call for self-reliance, Parly acknowledged the importance of Indian goods and offered support for the “Make in India” initiative. She also highlighted the importance of facilitating the integration of Indian manufacturers into global supply chains. Subsequently, Parly agreed to establish a strategic partnership model to make aero engines in India. However, the leaders did not specify the engines in the discussion.
French firms have previously expressed their desire to collaborate with Indian companies for the multi-billion-dollar Project 75 India (P75I), through which the Indian Navy seeks to locally build six conventional submarines. In fact, some French companies are already collaborating with Indian counterparts to build six Scorpene-class submarines in Mumbai. French companies are also interested in signing a contract with the Indian Air Force to manufacture fighter aircraft.
According to government sources cited by The Print, Singh and Parly also shared their views on threats posed by China and Pakistan to India’s borders. Parly opined that China is “getting more and more aggressive” in the Indo-Pacific, and noted that India and France are committed to ensuring the freedom of navigation in abidance with international maritime law.
The duo also spoke of the ongoing social and economic crisis in Afghanistan and expressed dismay about the rising reports of violence by the Taliban.