Military ties take center stage as Modi visits France

NEW DELHI/PARIS — Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi began a two-day visit to France on Thursday to deepen ties with New Delhi's oldest strategic partner in the West, with a slew of high-profile military deals expected.

French President Emmanuel Macron has made Modi guest of honor at Friday's Bastille Day military parade, which kicks off France's national day celebrations, with the participation of Indian troops and Indian-flown French-made fighter jets underlining close ties.

The two leaders are also set to watch the main Paris fireworks display at the Eiffel Tower after nightfall on Friday under heavy security as France recently endured its most intense urban violence in nearly two decades.

The visit will "provide an opportunity to chart the course of the partnership for the future across diverse sectors such as strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation", the Indian government said in a statement on Wednesday.

India's Defense Ministry has given initial approval to purchase 26 Rafale fighter jets for its navy and three Scorpene-class diesel submarines, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday.

The total value of the purchases is expected to be about $9.75 billion, a source familiar with the details told Reuters on Thursday. The government did not provide any cost figures, saying the prices are yet to be negotiated.

The marine version of Dassault's Rafale jets, intended for India's first indigenous aircraft carrier commissioned last year, outperformed the United States' Superhornet F18s in tests last year for Indian requirements.

India has relied on French fighter jets for 40 years. Before buying 36 Rafale fighter jets worth about $4.24 billion in 2015, India bought Mirage jets in the 1980s, which still comprise two squadrons of its air force.

In 2005, India bought six Scorpene-class submarines from France for $2.28 billion to be built in India by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders in partnership with the French Naval Group, the last of which will be commissioned next year.

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the two countries, and the announcement of new military deals will further deepen their ties, Reuters commented.

Vital market

India has become a vital market for Western companies, its swelling middle classes helping the economy to the fifth-biggest in the world, said Agence France-Presse.

Modi has visited France four times since Macron took office in 2017, while Macron was feted on a state visit to New Delhi in 2018.

Aides on both sides have talked up the personal chemistry between the two leaders and pointed to cooperation on climate change and solar, space technology and nuclear power, as part of the strategic partnership between France and India.

During the latest visit, Macron will host Modi for a private dinner, as well as a state banquet at the Louvre Museum. Modi will also meet other political leaders, selected French personalities and business leaders, and interact with the Indian diaspora.

The visit comes less than a month after US President Joe Biden hosted Modi for a state visit, during which the United States offered critical military technologies, including fighter jet engines and high altitude drones, to India. And Modi was given the rare honor of a White House state dinner in Washington — a city he was once banned from visiting.

From Paris, Modi will be traveling to Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates, for an official visit on Saturday.

Agencies - Xinhua