Rajnath says France visit will boost defence ties

New Delhi: Defence minister Rajnath Singh said that his visit to France was  “extremely productive” and it would boost defence co-operation between the two countries.

During his visit, the first Rafale fighter jet was handed over to Indian Air Force.

Mr Singh met French President Emmanuel Macron and also held talks with his French counterpart Florence Parly on ways to bolster the defence ties.

He had a meeting with the CEOs of French companies operating in the defence sector in  Paris. He had extended these companies an invitation to participate in Def Expo, which is scheduled to be held in Lucknow next year.

“Thank you France! Merci! This visit has been extremely productive. The outcomes of  this visit will further strengthen the defence cooperation between India and France. My gratitude to President @EmmanuelMacron, Minister @florence_parly & the Govt of France for their hospitality,” Mr Singh tweeted on Thursday.

He had performed a ‘Shastra Puja’ on the new Rafale aircraft on Vijayadashmi on

Tuesday as he emblazoned it with an ‘Om’ tilak and laid flowers and a coconut, just before he was to take off in it for a sortie in the newly-acquired two-seater jet.

The defence minister had also visited the Engine Manufacturing Facility of Safran at

Villaroche near Paris.  Safran has developed the engine for Rafale. India will receive the first 18 Rafale jets by February 2021 and by April-May 2022 it will receive all 36 jets.