India, France discuss space, AI
New Delhi, October 12
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu conducted the 5th Annual Defence Dialogue in Paris late last night. Rajnath concluded his two-nation Europe tour today.
From the assessment of regional situation to the ongoing military-to-military engagements, the two ministers discussed a wide range of topics with a focus on enhancing defence industrial cooperation.
The ministers reviewed the ongoing defence projects and discussed ways to deepen the collaboration between the defence industries of both the countries. They also discussed potential collaboration in niche domains such as space, cyber and artificial intelligence (AI).
Earlier, Rajnath Singh visited the Safran Engine Division’s R&D Centre at Gennevilliers near Paris and witnessed the latest developments in aero-engine technology. Olivier Andries, Global CEO, Safran, welcomed the Raksha Mantri gave a detailed briefing to him. Safran expressed interest in being a part of the Indian growth story by working on mutually agreed joint projects.
He also met with the CEOs of the top French defence companies with a focus on their plans for collaboration with India. Among others at the meeting were Eric Trappier, CEO, Dassault; Pierre Eric Pommellet, CEO, Naval Group; Guillaume Faury, CEO, Airbus and Olivier Andries, CEO, Safran Group.
