NSA Ajit Doval Holds Talks With French Defence Minister Florence Parly to Boost Security Cooperation

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and French Defence Minister Florence Parly held talks on Thursday to further boost bilateral defence and security cooperation, officials said.

The talks were focused on ways to enhance the overall strategic ties between the two countries, they said. Earlier in the day, Parly attended a ceremony at the Ambala air force station where five French-made Rafale jets were formally inducted into the Indian Air Force.

After the ceremony, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Parly held delegation-level talks. In her brief address at the event, Parly said France is fully committed to integrate the Indian defence industry with France’s global military supply chain, while calling the induction of the Rafale jets into the IAF a new chapter in bilateral defence ties.

In Delhi, Parly visited the national war memorial and paid tributes to India’s fallen heroes. The first batch of five Rafale jets arrived in India on July 29, nearly four years after India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to procure 36 of the aircraft at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore.