Indo-French deal with eye on China

India, France ink 14 pacts; major boost to defence, nuclear energy cooperation.

France-Presse / New Delhi : French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said defence ties with India had reached a new high after the two nations signed a key security accord for the Indian Ocean to counter China’s growing influence in the region.

“Defence cooperation between the two countries now has a new significance,” Macron said as a gushing Prime Minister Narendra Modi stood by his side.

Under the deal, India and France will open their naval bases to warships from each other, a move seen as an attempt to undermine China’s territorial ambitions.

“A strong part of our security and the world’s stability is at stake in the Indian Ocean,” Macron said.”The Indian Ocean, like the Pacific Ocean, cannot become a place of hegemony,” he added in an apparent reference to China.

PM Modi, who welcomed Macron with a bear hug on his arrival on Friday said the accord was crucial as the Indian Ocean region would play a “very significant role” in the days to come.The comments from the leaders followed a slew of agreements signed by the two countries in the spheres of defence, space and clean energy.

“From the ground to the sky, there is no subject on which India and France are not working together,” said PM Modi.

A technical agreement was also signed on the French-assisted nuclear power project at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.

On Sunday, Macron will attend a solar power summit designed to showcase India and France’s commitment to fighting climate change, which both leaders have made a priority.

Also, no-frills airline SpiceJet on Saturday inked a USD 12.5 billion deal with French major Safran Group for CFM aircraft engines. At the current exchange rate, the deal is worth over Rs 81,000 crore and is one of the biggest in the aviation sector. SpiceJet and Safran Group, have now finalised the purchase of LEAP-1B engines to power a total of 155 Boeing 737 MAX planes, along with spare engines to support the fleet, according to a release. Currently, SpiceJet operates a fleet of more than 38 CFM 56-7B-powered Boeing 737 NG family aircraft.

Govt shy of talking about sale of more Rafale jets

The French government was keen on announcing during the visit of President Emmanuel Macron that it is discussing with India the sale of 36 more Rafale jets, says a report on NDTV. This was communicated in a letter by French Defence Minister Florence Parly to her Indian counterpart Nirmala Sitharaman on February 26, the channel adds.

However, this was not announced in the joint statement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Macron.

According to sources, the Rafale jet deal has become a sticking point in view of the repeated Congress onslaught. In a statement on Friday, the Congress party claimed that the Rafale tender had resulted in ”a staggering loss of Rs 12,632 crore” since ”India is clearly paying an extra price of Rs 350.90 crore per aircraft” as compared to what Qatar and Egypt are paying for jets that they have ordered from Dassault, the manufacturer of Rafale.

Though these claims have been strongly contested, BJP clearly does not want further embarrassment on the Rafale jet deal in the run-up to the general election.

“From the ground to the sky, there is no subject on which India and France are not working together,” said PM Modi.