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French Chief of the Defence Staff General Fabien Mandon held a telephonic discussion with Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, reaffirming the strong strategic partnership between the two countries in the Indo-Pacific region.
According to a statement shared by the French Embassy in India on X on Tuesday, the two military leaders discussed ongoing cooperation and emphasised the importance of regular exchanges between their armed forces. "The French Chief of Defence Staff, held a telephonic discussion with his Indian counterpart, General Anil Chauhan. India and France are robust partners in the Indo-Pacific region. Their regular army, air, and naval exchanges and joint trainings bolster regional stability,' the embassy stated. In a post on X, General Mandon described India as a "major partner" of France in the Indo-Pacific, highlighting the depth of bilateral defence ties. He further noted that joint activities between the two nations span training, operational partnerships, and capability development, all contributing to regional stability. "Exchange with my Indian counterpart, General Anil Chauhan. India is a major partner of France in the Indo-Pacific. Our partnership is rich, embodied by regular exchanges between our armies on land, in the air, and our navies. Training, operational partnerships, capability cooperation: our joint actions are varied and contribute to the stability of the Indo-Pacific region," General Mandon stated in his post. Last month, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh co-chaired the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue with his French counterpart, Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin, in Bengaluru, where the two sides renewed their defence cooperation agreement for another 10 years, announced reciprocal deployment of officers, and inked an MoU for manufacturing HAMMER missiles in India. The dialogue focused on a wide range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of military equipment. Both ministers emphasised the need to strengthen defence industrial cooperation and deepen engagement in niche and emerging technologies. The renewal of the 10-year defence cooperation agreement was signed by senior officials from both sides following the dialogue, and the two countries also announced the reciprocal deployment of officers at Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments to enhance military-to-military cooperation. In a significant development, Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) and Safran Electronics & Defence signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a joint venture to manufacture HAMMER missiles in India, thereby boosting indigenous defence production. (ANI)
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