india

Updated: Oct 10, 2019 02:43 IST

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday said he had “fruitful deliberations” with his French counterpart during which they reviewed the full spectrum of the bilateral defence engagement. The two leaders also reaffirmed the strong intention of India and France to further deepen bilateral cooperation on counter terrorism, a defence ministry statement said.

“Had fruitful deliberations with the French Minister of Armed Forces, Ms Florence Parly during the Annual Defence Dialogue in Paris,” Singh tweeted after the meeting.

“We assessed and reviewed the full spectrum of our bilateral defence engagement,” he said.

This is the second ministerial level Annual Defence Dialogue between India and France. “The two ministers comprehensively reviewed the entire gamut of the bilateral defence cooperation, which is a key pillar of the India-France strategic partnership,” the ministry statement said.

“They also exchanged views on contemporary regional and international developments of mutual interest. Both sides discussed ways to further deepen defence-related official as well as operational level interactions. Both sides agreed to expand the scope and complexity of the existing regular bilateral joint exercises (Shakti, Varuna and Garuda),” it said.

‘Don’t terrorise us on tax’

The CEO of Safran, the French engine manufacturer of Rafale fighter jet on Wednesday urged Singh to ensure that the Indian tax and customs system does not “terrorise” the company but provide it with a conducive environment for investment. The statement by CEO Olivier Andries was made during Singh’s visit to the Safran Engine Manufacturing facility here on Wednesday.

“We need to make sure that the Indian tax and customs system is not terrorising us,” Andries told Rajnath.