NEW DELHI • French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday said defence ties with India have reached a new high after the two nations signed a key security accord to counter China’s growing influence in the region..
NEW DELHI • French President Emmanuel Macron yesterday said defence ties with India have reached a new high after the two nations signed a key security accord to counter China’s growing influence in the region.
Mr Macron, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his side, said: “Defence cooperation between the two countries now has a new significance.” Under the deal, India and France will open their naval bases to each other’s warships – a move seen as an attempt to undermine China’s territorial ambitions.
Mr Macron, who is in India for a four-day visit, said: “A strong part of our security and the world’s stability is at stake in the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean, like the Pacific Ocean, cannot become a place of hegemony,” he said.
Mr Modi, who welcomed Mr Macron with a bear hug when he arrived on Friday, said the accord was crucial as the Indian Ocean region would play a “very significant role” in the days to come.
The comments from the leaders came after a slew of deals made by the two countries in the areas of defence, space and clean energy.
