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New Delhi:
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Florence Parly on Thursday held intensive talks throughout which they vowed to step up cooperation within the Indian Ocean, a area which is witnessing rising Chinese army posturing.
It is learnt that Mr Singh additionally apprised Ms Parly on India’s four-month-long border row with China in japanese Ladakh.
Official sources stated the 2 sides reviewed the whole gamut of bilateral cooperation and exchanged views on modern regional and international safety problems with mutual curiosity.
The two ministers emphasised the necessity to work intently protecting in view the joint strategic imaginative and prescient of India-France cooperation within the Indian Ocean area, the sources stated.
The talks passed off at Ambala Air Force station after a ceremony marking induction of 5 Rafale jets into the Indian Air Force.
Mr Singh and Ms Parly held a short dialog on the Air Force station in Palam in Delhi shortly after her arrival on Thursday morning.
The Indian Navy has considerably expanded its deployment within the Indian Ocean Region, stationing a plethora of warships and submarines following the border row in japanese Ladakh to ship throughout a message to Beijing.
The maritime area across the Malacca Strait may be very crucial for China’s provide chain via sea routes.
After returning to Delhi within the afternoon, Ms Parly held talks with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval specializing in methods to additional increase bilateral defence and safety cooperation, officers stated.
In her transient tackle on the ceremony, Ms Parly stated France is absolutely dedicated to combine the Indian defence trade with France’s international army provide chain, whereas calling the induction of the Rafale jets into the IAF a brand new chapter in bilateral defence ties.
“The strategic partnership between France and India is based on common values and friendship forged over several decades,” she stated.
“Since India’s independence, our two democracies have been cooperating very closely. France has always stood beside India in good and bad times,” she stated.
In Delhi, Ms Parly visited the nationwide struggle memorial and paid tributes to India’s fallen heroes.
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