India and France Strike Strategic Defence Cooperation Renewal

India and France have fortified their strategic defence relationship, renewing a 10-year cooperation agreement and inking a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to manufacture Hammer missiles domestically. This significant development emerged from the sixth India-France Annual Defence Dialogue, co-chaired by India's Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Catherine Vautrin in the city.

The renewal was executed by the Indian Defence Secretary and the French Deputy Director General for International Relations and Strategy. Meanwhile, an MoU was signed for a joint venture on Hammer missiles between Bharat Electronics Limited and Safran Electronics and Defence. The dialogue also delved into bilateral security and priority areas for co-development of defence technology.

Additionally, both countries agreed to deploy Reciprocal Deployment Officers and enhance military-to-military cooperation. Singh underscored the importance of the recent India-EU Security and Defence Partnership as a step towards robust Indo-French alignment. On regional security, Singh reiterated India's role as a major security provider in the Indian Ocean and addressed concerns over cross-border terrorism originating from Pakistan.