Armed Forces Minister of France to Visit India on October 27
To hold wide-ranging talks ahead of the state visit of President Emmanuel Macron
In preparation for the upcoming state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, France’s Armed Forces Minister, Florence Parly will be on her first official visit to India on October 27. The visit is also aimed at strengthening ‘all aspects of France’s fast developing defence cooperation with India’. The Minister will be received by the Prime Minster Narendra Modi and the defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman.
Post her arrival, Parly will pay a floral tribute at Amar Jawan Jyoti and receive a guard of honour at the Ministry of Defence. Afterwards, the French Minister will proceed for bilateral consultation with her Indian counterpart, Nirmala Sitharaman.
The talks will range from defence operational cooperation, in particular on maritime security, joint exercises of the armed forces, counter-terrorism, to industrial and technological partnership under the Make in India initiative. They will also review progress made in major cooperation projects.
The minister will also travel to MIHAN SEZ, Nagpur, where she will participate in the foundation stone-laying ceremony of Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited (DRAL) by its joint promoters, Chairman Reliance Group, Anil Ambani and CMD Dassault Aviation, Eric Trappier in the presence of Minister of Road Transport and Highways, Shipping, and Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation, Nitin Gadkari and Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis. DRAL will be part of the upcoming Aerospace Park in Nagpur and plans to develop an indigenous value-added supply chain, thereby building a strong base for the success of the Rafale programme under the Make in India initiative.
The French Armed Forces Minister on her second day of visit will meet Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi for wide-ranging talks ahead of the State visit of President Emmanuel Macron. She will also meet National Security Adviser, Ajit Doval.
Florence Parly will conclude her India trip in Mumbai with visits at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL) and the Western Naval Command. At MDL shipyard, she will visit the yard where Scorpene submarines are being made in India with transfer of technology under the P75 project by MDL, India’s leading public sector shipbuilders, in collaboration with French shipbuilding major, Naval Group (formerly DCNS). She will also board the INS Kalvari, the first of these six Scorpene submarines to have been delivered to the Indian Navy.
At the Western Naval Command (WNC), Minister Parly will be received by Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Flag Officer Commanding in Chief, WNC, for discussions on Indo-French defence and security cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region. One of the most dynamic aspects of the Indo-French strategic partnership, this will be a key issue of President Macron’s State visit. She will also be given a brief tour of WNC and view the stealth guided missile destroyer, INS Kochi.