India and France on Tuesday renewed their 10-year defense cooperation pact and signed a memorandum of understanding to manufacture Hammer missiles in India, PTI reported. The agreements were finalized when Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin co-chaired the sixth annual India-France Defense Dialogue in the city.
“The renewal of the 10-year defense cooperation agreement was signed by the Minister of Defense from the Indian side and the Deputy Director General for International Relations and Strategy from the French side,” the official statement said.
It also said that a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between the Chairman and Managing Director of Bharat Electronics Limited and the Executive Vice President of Safran Electronics & Defense for a joint venture to manufacture Hammer missiles in India.
According to the statement, the two countries have announced Reciprocal deployment of officers in Indian Army and French Ground Forces installations.
The two leaders also discussed a number of bilateral security and defense issues, including priority areas for joint development and co-production of equipment.
Emphasizing the need for a closer defense partnership and linking the two nations’ industries, especially in the field of specialized technologies, the two ministers reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening military-to-military cooperation as a key pillar of the strategic partnership.
Here is what Rajnath Singh had to say
Rajnath Singh highlighted that the recent India-EU Security and Defense Partnership represents a significant step towards deepening collective engagement. The two ministers agreed to leverage this framework, both bilaterally and in the wider European context, for tangible results that will enhance regional stability, enhance joint capabilities and enhance enduring Indo-French strategic alignment, the statement said.
Singh said Vautrin’s tenure comes at a critical moment for European and global security and India deeply appreciates France’s unwavering commitment to strategic autonomy and a robust European defense posture.
The French defense minister praised the transformation of the Shakti exercise with the army from a biennial to an annual event.
Singh emphasized that India is a “first responder” and “network security provider” for countries in the Indian Ocean region and always provides them with defense, security and maritime assistance to enhance their capabilities and deter any adversary.
On the issue of terrorism, he said that Pakistan has a long history of nurturing, nurturing and promoting cross-border terrorism to create unrest and violence in India. This, he said, created a serious threat to peace in the region, the statement said.
The Annual Defense Dialogue is a formal bilateral ministerial-level meeting aimed at reviewing ongoing defense and security cooperation and providing strategic direction for future cooperation between the two countries.