With more than two years gone in negotiations between Dassault and Defence Ministry for the Rs45,000-crore medium multi-role combat aircraft (MMRCA) deal, French Foreign Minister laurent Fabius is likely to take up the issue during his visit to New Delhi later this month.
French aviation giant Dassault’s Rafale fighter jet emerged as the lowest bidder two years back and since then the Defence Ministry and the manufacturer are negotiating the deal. It entails procurement of 126 jets for the IAF to replace the ageing MIG-21s and any further delay in finalising the contract will hit the modernisations plans of the force.
Fabius is likely to come to New Delhi to hold talks with the Indian leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, French Ambassador to New Delhi Francois Richier said here on Thursday, adding the dates are yet to be finalised.When asked if MMRCA will figure in the talks between Fabius, considered to be the second most powerful Minister in France, and the Indian leadership, the envoy refrained from a direct reply and said all issues including defence, energy, education and strategic partnership inked in 1998 will be discussed.
He said the negotiations between the French manufacturer and the Defence Ministry are progressing well and some critical elements like work share between Hindustan Aeronautics limited (HAl) and Dassault are sorted out. As per the proposed contract, IAF will buy 20 planes off the shelf and HAl will manufacture remaining planes in India as per a transfer of technology pact.
Justifying the delay in negotiations, Richier said contracts of such magnitude take time as the manufacturer and user will be committed for next 40 years, adding a team representing Dassault for the negotiations is permanently based in New Delhi.Sharing these views with mediapersons while giving details of the ongoing ‘Garuda’ joint exercise in Jodhpur between IAF and French Air Force, the envoy said the next few weeks will also see high level interaction between security officials of two countries.
They will discuss counter-terrorism and intelligence sharing in the backdrop of recent attack on Indian consulate in Afghanistan and a French citizen attacking a Jewish museum in Brussels, he said. French army operated as part of international coalition force in two districts of eastern Afghanistan till 2012 after handing over charge to Afghan security forces. French troops are now deployed in Kabul and its outskirts.