Macron's visit likely to see sealing of naval Rafale pact

New Delhi, January 5

India and France held the 36th Strategic Dialogue here on Thursday ahead of a possible visit by French President Emmanuel Macron in March and discussed a number of regional and global issues, including the security situation pertaining to Afghanistan and the conflict in Ukraine.

The annual dialogue saw discussions on wide-ranging issues, including counterterrorism, cyber security and defence cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, said Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi.

The Indian side was led by NSA Ajit Doval, while the visiting French delegation was led by Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Adviser to the French President.

Meanwhile, the French media reported that Macron’s visit would see the two sides signing a contract for naval version of the Rafale fighter jets in a year India and France would celebrate the 25th anniversary of their strategic partnership.