BENGALURU: India and France on Tuesday renewed the 10-year defence cooperation agreement and signed an MoU for manufacturing Hammer missiles in the country.
The agreements were signed when Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin co-chaired the sixth India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in the city.
“The renewal of 10-year defence cooperation agreement was signed by the Defence Secretary from the Indian side and Deputy Director General for International Relations and Strategy from the French side,” an official statement said.
It added that an MoU on Joint Venture was also signed for the manufacturing of Hammer missiles in India between the Chief Managing Director (CMD), Bharat Electronics Limited and Executive Vice President, Safran Electronics and Defence.
According to the statement, both countries announced Reciprocal Deployment Officers at Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments.
The two leaders also discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of equipment.
Emphasising on the need for a closer defence partnership and connecting the industries of both nations, especially in the field of niche technology, the two ministers reaffirmed the commitment to enhance military-to-military cooperation as a key pillar of the strategic partnership.
Singh highlighted that the recent India-EU Security and Defence Partnership marks a significant step in deepening the collective engagement. Both the ministers agreed to leverage this framework, both bilaterally and in the wider European context for tangible outcomes that will strengthen regional stability, enhance joint capabilities, and reinforce the enduring Indo-French strategic alignment, the statement said.
Singh stated that Vautrin’s tenure comes at a critical moment for European and global security, and India deeply appreciates France’s steadfast commitment to strategic autonomy and a robust European defence posture.
The French defence minister appreciated the conversion of Exercise Shakti with the Army from biennial to an annual event.
Singh emphasised that India has been the ‘First Responder’ and ‘Net Security Provider’ for countries in the Indian Ocean Region and always extends assistance to them in the defence, security and maritime domains to augment their capabilities and ward off any adversary.
On the issue of terrorism, he stated that Pakistan has a long history of nurturing, nourishing, and promoting cross-border terrorism to create disturbance and violence in India. This, he said, has created a serious threat to peace in the region, the statement said.
The Annual Defence Dialogue is a structured ministerial level bilateral meeting to review and guide defence and security cooperation. (PTI)