Indian Chief of Army Staff to Discuss Defense Cooperation in France

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - India's Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) Gen. Manoj Pande will discuss strengthening of defense cooperation between the country and France during his visit from November 14-17, the Indian ministry of defense said on Sunday

“During the four day visit, he will be meeting his counterparts and senior military leadership of France with an aim to enhance defence cooperation between both the nations,” the report said.

Pande is scheduled to visit military training facilities in Ecole Militaire, Paris, as well as in the southern French commune of Draguignan.

“The COAS will be visiting Ecole Militarie, comprising of various military training establishments in Paris and address Senior Staff Officers attending a course at Ecole de Guerra-T. He will also be visiting Military Schools at Draguignan, which are premier training establishments that train commissioned officers and non-commissioned officers,” the statement said.

India and France have a long history of military cooperation. Since the early 2000’s  India and France have been holding a series of joint military exercises including Garuda air force exercises and Varuna naval exercises, as well as talks on counter-terrorism and defense.

Under the agreement of 2018, India and France can use each other's naval bases. That year, the countries also signed military contracts worth $16 billion, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called France one of his country's most reliable defense allies.