New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on October 11 met with the CEOs of the top French defence companies with a focus on their plans for collaboration with India in France. During the interaction Eric Trappier, CEO of Dassault; Pierre Eric Pommellet, CEO of Naval Group; Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus; and Olivier Andries, CEO of Safran Group were present.

Singh visited the Safran Engine Division’s R&D Centre at Gennevilliers near Paris, France during the second and final leg of his two-nation tour. During his visit to the Centre, he witnessed the latest developments in aero-engine technology.

Olivier Andries, Global CEO Safran welcomed the minister to the facility and, along with his team, gave a detailed briefing to him. Safran expressed interest in being a part of the Indian growth story by working with its counterparts on mutually agreed joint projects.

Singh highlighted the advantages of co-development and co-production in India, including the possibility of exports to third countries. He underlined the inherent advantages of the Indian market such as a large, skilled HR base, world-class infrastructure and a strong legal architecture, the release stated.

Later in the day, the Defence minister held the fifth Annual Defence Dialogue with the French Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu. Singh reached Paris late on October 10 and interacted with the Indian community.

While addressing the sizeable Indian community at the India House, he highlighted the various achievements of India in the defence sector such as increased defence exports, increasing indigenous production of defence equipment, concerted efforts on co-development and co-production in India and an enhanced outreach in the region.

The Defence Minister spoke about the tremendous progress achieved in India in the last nine years, an assessment that was heartily supported by the Indian community.