NEW DELHI:
India and France have agreed to cooperate on joint production of defense equipment, including helicopters and submarines for the Indian armed forces and production for friendly countries, New Delhi said.
The agreement was reached during a visit by French President Emmanuel Macron, who met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attended a state banquet hosted by President Draupadi Murmu, the government said in a statement late Friday.
Macron and Modi agreed to expand bilateral ties in defense production, nuclear power, space research and the use of artificial intelligence for public services such as climate change, health and agriculture, the statement said.
He did not specify the value of any deals.
After Russia, France is the largest arms supplier to India, which has relied on its fighters for four decades.
Leaders hailed the creation of maintenance, repair and overhaul services by France’s Safran ( SAF.PA ), opening a new tab for advanced air propulsion (LEAP) engines in India and adding such services for Rafale engines and a helicopter partnership.
Reading India will strengthen ties with France with Macron as the chief guest on the national day
The bilateral summit during Macron’s 40-hour visit was the fifth Macron-Modi meeting since May.
India’s Tata Group and France’s Airbus ( AIR.PA ), which opens a new tab, have signed an agreement to jointly build civil helicopters, India’s Foreign Minister Vinay Kwatra said.
French jet engine maker CFM International also announced a deal with India’s Akasa Air to buy more than 300 of its LEAP-1B engines to power 150 Boeing ( BA.N ) 737 MAX planes.
Akasa Air had previously ordered 76 powered aircraft, of which 22 are in use.
India and France have agreed to step up cooperation in the southwest Indian Ocean, building on joint surveillance missions conducted from the French island territory of La Reunion in 2020 and 2022, the government statement said.
Macron also said France would create conditions to attract up to 30,000 Indian students a year for higher education.
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