“France and India are the two major riparian powers of the Indian Ocean. Therefore, our partnership is vital for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an interview with to the Business Business newspaper. the echoes.
The Indian prime minister is scheduled to arrive in Paris at noon on Thursday for a two-day official visit. He will be the guest of honor on National Day on July 14 before an official dinner on Friday night with French President Emmanuel Macron and more than 200 guests at the prestigious Louvre Museum.
arms contracts
For this occasion, 240 Indian soldiers will parade on the Champs-Élysées, and three Rafals from the Indian Air Force will take part in the air parade just behind the Patrol de France. The arms contracts, certainly 26 Rafale Marine aircraft and three Scorpene submarines, should be announced tomorrow. In the past, India has already been equipped with 36 Rafales and 6 French submarines.
But this presence and this place of honor are also based on “a point of memory.”
25 years of strategic partnership
But in addition, the two nuclear powers have been united by a strategic association for 25 years, “the first Western country with which we signed a strategic association”, underlines the Indian prime minister. It covers defense, but also space, energy, cybersecurity and the fight against terrorism.
“Our relationship with France is one of trust, solid and consistent. The level of mutual trust is unparalleled,” he added. “We have the same desire for strategic autonomy. Our two countries are deeply committed to international law and we want the world to be multipolar.”
Source: BFM TV
