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Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Sunday highlighted indigenisation as a key pillar of the Rafale fighter jet deal with France, reaffirming India's commitment to defence self-reliance and strengthening domestic manufacturing under the 'Make in India' initiative.
The Foreign Secretary made these comments during a special briefing by the Ministry of External Affairs on the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Nice, France.
While answering questions regarding the Rafale aircraft at the briefing, Misri noted that "the discussions are ongoing between both nations regarding the Rafael aircraft. India Airforce operates Rafael; the discussion between the two countries and the two Air Forces is moving forward".
"Coming to the indigenisation of Rafale, we always believe that and the Prime Minister Modi always strengthens that the Indian defence sector should move towards 'Make in India'," the diplomat noted.
"We want to go in the direction of co-development, co-design, co-production, and co-manufacturing. The more the design and manufacturing happen in India, the more beneficial it is to us," Misri highlighted.
"In today's discussion as well, leaving Rafale aside, deliberations on several things happened, but the underlying theme is that whatever defence platform we talk about, we should take more local content and more local manufacturing as the basis. And the future designs also should be done keeping this in mind," the Foreign Secretary emphasised.
He said that discussions are going on about several things, and "whatever the different platforms are there and regarding buying and selling of those platforms, both countries are discussing it".
PM Modi arrived in Nice on Saturday for an official visit at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
"After a fruitful visit to Nice, France, which resulted in several bilateral outcomes with strong focus on innovation and future tech, PM Narendra Modi has departed for Bratislava," the Ministry of External Affairs said on social media platform X.
"Nice to have met you (Emmanuel Macron) in Nice. A productive first leg indeed. The India-France partnership will keep scaling new heights. See you in Evian and Paris…," PM Modi wrote on X ahead of his departure from Nice.
