Colonna stresses India - France Defence ties; Jaishankar emphasizes partnership in energy sector

New Delhi, Sept 15: French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and EAM Dr S Jaishankar attend joint press conference. External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar on Wednesday (Sept 14) said that India and France agreed to work towards the establishment of Indo-Pacific trilateral development cooperation. Foreign Minister of France Catherine Colonna is presently on an official visit to India between Sept 14 and 15.

 

 

 

 

Addressing a press conference along with his French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna in New Delhi, Jaishankar said that the Indo-Pacific trilateral is expected to provide a platform for Indian innovations and startups to demonstrate their relevance to the requirements of other societies. "The French have a long-standing presence on either extremity of the Indo-Pacific. Hearing Minister Colonna's views and assessments of those regions was truly of great value. We agreed to establish Indo-Pacific trilateral development cooperation that would facilitate development projects, especially in the framework of the International Solar Alliance," Jaishankar said.

 

 

 

 

 

At the same time, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, during the joint press conference said that France is proud to be one of India's first defence partners, adding that the arm forces of both the countries are now conducting joint patrols. She also asserted that France we will soon initiate a new dialogue on security issues in space.

 

"Our cybersecurity cooperation is progressing well and our counter-terrorism cooperation remains very close. We are already doing a great deal together on low-carbon energy. Our Jaitapur civil nuclear project is progressing well. I would like to recall that it would provide India with the largest nuclear power plant in the world to serve its goals of energy independence and the fight against global warming," Catherine Colonna said at the press conference.