India and France on Friday vowed to increase defence cooperation across all domains during bilateral talks between defence minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly in New Delhi.
A key topic was defence industrial cooperation, including discussions on the Make in India initiative and potential joint projects in the aerospace and maritime sectors. In addition to recognizing convergences on a number of strategic issues, the minister discussed issues related to China and Afghanistan.
According to France’s defence minister, the country is willing to provide additional Rafale jet fighters to India, and noted that the use of the same aircraft by strategic partners proves the strength of their relationship.
The focus of the talks was on industrial cooperation, as several Indian companies have gained capabilities in the last few years and could be suitable partners for French defence manufacturers. The Indian industry wants to move away from buyer-seller relationship toward a more meaningful future where the industry can collaborate and manufacture high-end systems.
