India and France on Monday renewed their bilateral defence cooperation agreement for another 10 years and agreed to deepen military and industrial collaboration as the two sides held the sixth edition of the India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru.
The dialogue was co-chaired by India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and France’s Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Catherine Vautrin, who discussed a range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment.
Both ministers emphasised the need for closer defence ties and stronger industry-to-industry cooperation, particularly in niche and emerging technologies. They reaffirmed their commitment to enhancing military-to-military engagement as a key pillar of the India-France strategic partnership.
The two sides also announced the reciprocal deployment of officers at Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments. The renewed 10-year defence cooperation agreement was signed by India’s Defence Secretary and France’s Deputy Director General for International Relations and Strategy.
An agreement was also reached between Bharat Electronics Limited and Safran Electronics & Defense to establish a joint venture for the manufacturing of HAMMER missiles in India.
Singh said the recent India-EU Security and Defence Partnership marked an important step in strengthening collective engagement and that both countries would leverage the framework bilaterally and within the broader European context to enhance regional stability and joint defence capabilities.
Congratulating Vautrin on her appointment and welcoming her on her first visit to India, Singh said her tenure comes at a critical moment for European and global security and noted India’s appreciation for France’s commitment to strategic autonomy and a strong European defence posture. Vautrin welcomed the decision to convert the India-France Army exercise Shakti from a biennial to an annual engagement.
Singh reiterated that India acts as a “first responder” and “net security provider” in the Indian Ocean Region, extending assistance to regional partners in defence, security and maritime domains to strengthen their capabilities.
On terrorism, Singh said Pakistan has a long history of nurturing and promoting cross-border terrorism, posing a serious threat to peace and stability in the region.
The Annual Defence Dialogue is a structured ministerial-level mechanism to review and guide bilateral defence and security cooperation. Vautrin was accorded a guard of honour on arrival at HAL airport ahead of the talks.
