India and France have agreed to intensify their cooperation in the Southwest Indian Ocean, building on the “joint surveillance missions” carried out from French La Reunion in 2020 and 2022 while the two countries welcomed the progress in bilateral dialogue and identification of specific opportunities for using India “as a base” for the manufacture and export of defence equipment for friendly countries in the region, the joint statement issued at the end of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit on the bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi said.
France is the first major Western military power with which India has conducted joint patrols under which Indian Navy P-8I maritime patrol aircraft were deployed to the French island territory of La Reunion. “They also welcomed the extension of those interactions in India’s maritime neighbourhood. These interactions may contribute positively to the securitisation of strategic sea lanes of communication,” the joint statement said.
The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the increasing “complexity and interoperability” of India-France joint defence exercises across air, sea and land and agreed to consider a distinct joint tri-services exercise, it stated. “They also discussed actively increasing capacities, particularly in the maritime domain, by joining hands with other like-minded countries.”
