India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held important talks with top French officials in Paris on the purchase of Rafale marine fighter jets and additional Scorpene submarines. Doval is currently in France for bilateral strategic dialogue with Emmanuel Bonne, advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Indian Embassy said in a post on Twitter that the dialogue between Doval and French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu was aimed at deepening bilateral defense cooperation and advancing space cooperation. Lecornu, in a separate post, said he and Doval discussed bilateral defense cooperation, Rafale Marines, Scorpene submarines. He also said that he also considered the international situation, especially the situation in Ukraine.
At present, India is in talks with the French government for the purchase of 26 Rafale marine jets. Some of these jets will be deployed on an aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. Both parties have been engaged in commercial discussions for this jet deal for more than a year. India is also eyeing an order for three additional Kalvari-class submarines, which are a variant of the French Scorpene submarine. The Indian Navy has already acquired six submarines of this class.
During his visit, Doval met President Emmanuel Macron and reiterated India’s commitment to implement the ‘Horizon 2047 Roadmap’. It is a framework for close cooperation in a number of strategic areas until 2047. On this occasion, Doval also conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s message to the French leader. Macron stressed the importance of India-France efforts to promote peace and address global challenges and appreciated PM Modi’s initiatives in this context. France is one of India’s western strategic partners and has been a major supplier of advanced military hardware. Both countries have also increased their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.