Committed to Make-in-India initiative, ready to provide more Rafale jets: French Defence Minister

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh greets his French counterpart Florence Parly as she arrives for a meeting in New Delhi on December 17, 2021. (Image: AFP)

France is committed to the "make-in-India initiative" and is ready to provide more Rafale aircraft to the country if required, French Defence Minister Florence Parly said on December 17.

"We are ready to answer any additional needs or requests that could be made by India. We know that an aircraft carrier will soon be delivered. Aircraft are needed. So we are open and ready to provide any other Rafale if this is India's decision," news agency ANI quoted Parle who is currently in India on an official visit as saying during a virtual conversation organised by a think-tank.

The French minister's remarks come shortly before her meeting with Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh in New Delhi, scheduled as part of the third Annual Defence Dialogue between India and France.

Parly said she is in India to say that "how precious is the friendship" between the two nations.

"This friendship, this trust that we have in each other, has developed and blossomed considerably in recent years, to such an extent that the distance between the Ganges and the Seine sometimes seems to be lessened," wire agency PTI quoted her as saying.

Also Read | Rafale jet controversy: A timeline of what has happened so far

Parle said France and India are both "viscerally committed" to national sovereignty and independence.

"I think that our industrial partnership is proof of that. France, more than any other country, understands the necessity of the Indian content. And we are fully committed to the make-in-India initiative, as well as to the further integration of Indian manufacturers into our global supply chains," she noted.

"Make in India has been a reality for French industry for several years, particularly for defence equipment such as submarines," the minister added.

Parle's visit to India comes in the backdrop of 30 Rafale fighter jets being supplied to the country. The delivery of final six units of the aircraft, as per the deal inked in 2016, will be completed by April 2022.

The acquisition of Rafale jets had created an uproar in Indian politics as the Opposition had alleged a "scam" in the awarding of offset contracts. The Supreme Court had, however, ruled in December 2018 that an investigation was not required into the Rs 59,000 crore deal, holding that there was no ground to doubt the decision-making process.