Doval talks with his French counterpart to discuss Afghanistan and the Indo-Pacific region.

NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR Ajit Doval met with his counterpart, the visiting Diplomatic Adviser to the French President, Emmanuel Bonne, on Thursday. They reaffirmed their commitment to advance their strategic partnership to ensure peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific on the basis of shared beliefs in rules-based international order and strategic autonomy.

In addition, they examined the circumstances in Afghanistan, Africa, South East Asia, and Eurasia, as well as Third Country Cooperation, Indo-Pacific cooperation, nuclear energy, the space and cyber sectors.

The Ministry of External Affairs issued the following statement: “During the Strategic Dialogue and the meetings, India and France reaffirmed their commitment to advance their strategic partnership to ensure peace, stability, and security in the Indo-Pacific on the basis of their shared beliefs in rules-based international order and strategic autonomy.”

The MEA reported that the two sides reviewed the global security environment and expanded the scope of their defence cooperation to encompass the co-development of futuristic technologies in line with India’s Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat initiatives.

The programme featured discussions on the situation in Afghanistan, Africa, South East Asia, and Eurasia, as well as Third Country Cooperation, Indo-Pacific cooperation, nuclear energy, space, and cyber domains. Both parties also agreed to deepen bilateral defence and security cooperation, notably in the South West Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific, and to pursue new initiatives in key and emerging technologies, according to the document.

In light of the rising uncertainties and volatile global security environment, the MEA stated that both parties reaffirmed the need for closer cooperation between India and France, notably in the UNSC and other multilateral forums.

The French Embassy in Delhi discussed aspects of the Indo-French strategic partnership, including defence and security cooperation, major international and regional issues, including the war in Ukraine, and cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, counter-terrorism cooperation, cyber-security, space, and civil nuclear energy.

Doval and Bonne, who is also the French government’s G7 and G20 Sherpa, agreed to enhance the ambition level of bilateral cooperation with the aim of speeding work toward strategic autonomy, according to the statement.

According to a statement, Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor and G7/G20 Sherpa to French President Emmanuel Macron, visited India on January 5 for the 36th session of the Indo-French Strategic Dialogue. As the Indo-French strategic alliance celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, it was stated that the first bilateral visit of the year would set the way for an ambitious expansion.

Bonne also met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Minister of External Affairs, S Jaishankar, and the G20 Sherpa, Amitabh Kant.

“It’s a pleasure to meet Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the French President. After their meeting, Jaishankar tweeted, “Valuable exchange of opinions on current problems of mutual interest.”