SOURCE: ANI
Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on Thursday held a meeting with French Navy Chief Admiral Nicolas Vaujour and discussed issues of mutual strategic interest, security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region and furthering maritime collaboration. The two sides affirmed the significant progress in bilateral defence cooperation between two nations.
In a post on X, Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff stated, “Admiral Nicolas Vaujour, French Chief of Naval Staff called on General Anil Chauhan, #CDS_India. Discussions held on issues of mutual #strategicinterest, #securitychallenges in the #IOR and furthering maritime collaboration, duly affirming the significant progress in bilateral #DefenceCooperation between both nations.” India and France have traditionally close and friendly relations, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
In 1998, the two countries entered into Strategic Partnership which is emblematic of their convergence of views on a range of international issues apart from a close and growing bilateral relationship. The areas of defence cooperation, space cooperation and civil nuclear cooperation constitute the three principal pillars of the Strategic Partnership between India and France. On February 20, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and the visiting Chairman of the French Senate, Gerard Larcher on Tuesday held “a fruitful discussion on the India-France strategic partnership”.
The two leaders also engaged in talks over the convergence on a number of global issues. “Pleased to meet the visiting Parliamentary delegation headed by @gerard_larcher, President of the French Senate. A fruitful discussion on the India-France strategic partnership and the convergence on so many global issues,” EAM Jaishankar said in a post on X. French Senate Chairman Larcher was on an official visit to India on February 19 and 20 accompanied by a delegation of five senators, the French Embassy in India said.
On January 19, Larcher met Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar at Parliament House and discussed strengthening parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. The discussions between the Chairman of the French Senate and Rajya Sabha Chairman Dhankhar also centred on building close economic and cultural cooperation, and warm people-to-people ties.