Minister reaffirms India-France partnership

Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has reaffirmed India’s commitment to the strategic partnership with France, especially in the critical areas of defence cooperation.

The Minister is on maiden official visit to France on the invitation of French Defence Minister Florence Parly from 10-13 October 2018 and addressed ‘India-France Defence Engagement in a Multipolar World’ at the Institute of Strategic Research (IRSEM) in Paris on 12 Oct 2018.

Sitharaman said: “Under the new framework for defence industry in India, we are hoping to meet our defence requirements within a framework of joint manufacturing and technology driven partnerships”.

She highlighted a strong India-France strategic partnership, of which the defence ties are a key component, and an active engagement with other like-minded friends and partners, can contribute to furthering peace and security in these testing times.

India presents a major opportunity for the French defence industry, she said.

The Indian Government’s ‘Make-in-India’ initiative opens doors to not only a huge market but is also an attractive investment destination for defence production and development, including for third country exports.

“Several of our international partners have already displayed a willingness to expand their presence in the Indian defence manufacturing space.” fiinews.com