Just the day after the close of Aero India 2015, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves le Drian will arrive in New Delhi to meet his Indian counterpart Manohar Parrikar.
He will hold a fresh round of talks with Parrikar just two months after they met and decided to “fast-track” the contract negotiations for the nearly USD 10-billion deal for Rafale fighter jets.
Parrikar had said at the Aero India that he would not comment on the Rafale deal as the Contract Negotiations Committee was discussing it. Air Chief Arup Raha had stressed on the need to have a Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft, for which Rafale was shortlisted.
It is interesting that the French Defence Minister is visiting India before Prime Minister Modi’s visit to France in a few months’ time.