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Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi met his French counterpart, General Pierre Schill, Chief of Staff of the French Army (CEMAT), on the sidelines of the United Nations Chiefs of the Counter-Terrorism Conference 2025.
In a post on X, the Army's Additional Directorate General of Public Information (ADG PI) said, "On the sidelines of #UNTCC2025, #GeneralUpendraDwivedi, #COAS met with his French counterpart, General Pierre Schill, CEMAT. The two Chiefs reaffirmed the robust Indo-French strategic partnership, with discussions on expanding joint training exercises, counter-terrorism cooperation and defence technology collaboration." https://x.com/adgpi/status/1977683012461691277 It further stated, "Both sides emphasised the need for enhanced interoperability in UN peacekeeping operations." The ongoing military engagement between the two nations builds on General Dwivedi's visit to France earlier this year, which marked a significant milestone in advancing bilateral defence cooperation. On February 25, the Indian Army Chief visited Marseille, where he was briefed on the French Army's 3rd Division, the joint exercise SHAKTI, and the modernisation programme "Scorpion," followed by a live demonstration in Carpiagne the next day. According to an official statement from the Ministry of Defence, "On 25th February 2025, General Dwivedi will travel to Marseille, where he will visit the 3rd Division of the French Army and will be briefed on the mission and role of the 3rd Division, the bilateral exercise SHAKTI, India-France training cooperation, and the French Army modernisation programme (Scorpion)." "The following day, General Dwivedi will visit Carpiagne to witness a dynamic demonstration of the Scorpion Division with live firing exercises," the MoD added. General Dwivedi was on an official visit to France from February 24 to 27, as part of "efforts to bolster India-France defence cooperation." The Chief of the Army Staff met senior French military officials at Les Invalides. The day began with a Guard of Honour, followed by discussions with General Schill. "The aim of the meeting will be to foster stronger military ties between the two nations," the Defence Ministry statement added. During his visit, he also toured the Ecole Militaire, a renowned military institution in Paris, where he was briefed on the Future Combat Command (CCF). Additionally, he received briefings at the Technical Section of the French Army (STAT) and visited the Battle Lab Terre in Versailles, further highlighting the deepening technological and operational collaboration between the two sides. The COAS also visited the Neuve Chapelle Indian War Memorial, where he laid a wreath in honour of Indian soldiers who fought in World War I. Later, he delivered a talk at the Ecole de Guerre, the French Joint Staff College, focusing on modern warfare and India's strategic vision. "General Dwivedi's visit aims to strengthen the military collaboration between India and France, exploring new avenues of cooperation and enhancing strategic partnerships between the two nations' armed forces," the MoD statement added. The visit by the COAS comes days after India and France held a Bilateral Dialogue on Disarmament and Non-Proliferation in Paris on February 14. During the dialogue, both sides discussed developments in disarmament and non-proliferation related to nuclear, chemical, and biological domains, as well as outer space security, conventional weapons, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the military domain, lethal autonomous weapons systems, and multilateral export control regimes. The continued engagement through high-level visits, defence dialogues, and collaborative frameworks underscores the growing strategic partnership between India and France, built on shared trust and a commitment to strengthening global peace and security. (ANI)
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