French defence minister will mark an official visit to India for Rafale induction

Photo Credits: AFP

French defence minister, Florence Parly will visit India on Thursday (September 10) to be present at the induction ceremony for the very first batch of Rafale combat jets into the Indian Air Force (IAF). Parly’s visit gives a thumbs up for further cooperation and support in important aspects which includes the Indo-Pacific and joint exercises.

Rafale induction marks Parly’s third official visit to India. As per the information obtained from French embassy, her visit to India is focusing on strengthening France’s “forward-looking defence cooperation with India, its foremost Asian strategic partner.”

The statements given by French embassy also stated, These talks will also take forward the decision by President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to further deepen and expand the bilateral partnership, with strategic autonomy and defence of a multi-polar order as its cornerstones.

In one of his tweets, French ambassador Emmanuel Lenain has characterized Parly’s official visit as one of the “next steps” in the bilateral relationship. Florence Parly will have a meeting with Indian defence minister, Rajnath Singh and National Security Adviser Ajith Doval. During her visit, Parly is also expecting to present a floral tribute to Indian soldiers I Delhi at the National War Memorial.