French Defence Minister Florence Parley will be coming to India next week with cooperation in the maritime domain being a key agenda to be discussed.
It will be the first visit by a top French minister since the formation of AUKUS forced France out of a defence deal with Australia. Parley is expected to arrive on Thursday. India is topping the French agenda in Indo-Pacific region under French EU presidency from January to June 2022, ET sources learnt.
With multiple exercises, information sharing, and the exchange of officers, Indian and French naval cooperation on the naval front is expected to be high on the agenda.
In the wake of the AUKUS formation, the possibility of sharing nuclear submarine technology with trusted partners has gained more legitimacy. France is also expected to bring up the issue of an ongoing contest to supply six more submarines under Project 75I.
