France Defence Minister expressed condolences over the death of 20 Indian soldiers in the India China clash over the Line of Action Control in Galwan valley
The clash between India and China does not seem to end any time soon. The clash which started on the 15th of June has been extending. The Chinese PLA troops who had agreed to de-escalate with the Indian army over the Line of Action Control in Galwan Valley, Eastern Ladakh had attacked the Indian army not keeping put to their word. In the violent face off 20 soldiers of Indian Army were killed. India had recently banned 59 Chinese apps from the country stating threat of privacy and security.
Huge countries like Japan and United States of America have shown their support towards India in this war with China. India and Japan recently conducted a drill in the Indian Ocean to send a not-so-subtle message to China.
France has also joined in the list of supporters of India. The Defence Minister of France Florence Parly wrote a letter to Rajnath Singh, Defence minister of India on Monday, expressing condolences to the death of the 20 Indian soldiers in the clash in Galwan Valley on June 15.
The Defence ministers of the countries had gathered in Moscow city of Russia for the World Victory day parade on June 21st 2020. The Defence minister of China was also a part of this 3 day parade. France has expressed deep solidarityand condolences over the death of 20 Indian soldiers in a violent-face-off with Chinese troops along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), with French Defence minister Florence Parly conveying steadfast and ‘friendly support’ to her Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh.
In the Letter to Rajnath Singh, Florence Parly wrote her deep condolences to the country over the death of 20 brave soldiers in the clash between India and China. ‘condoling the death of the 20 Indian soldiers in the clash in Galwan Valley on June 15.
She also mentioned her support towards the families of the soldiers and the entire nation when we have already been facing difficult situations. She also expressed her friendly support along with that of the French Armed forces.
Parly also conveyed her “heartfelt condolences to the entire Indian armed forces as well as to the grieving families” of the 20 soldiers.
India and France have been strategic partners for a long time. France has stepped up its Defence engagement with India in the past recent years. France is also a key supplier of frontline combat jet to Indian Air Force (IAF). Both India and France have been working on naval cooperation which includes joint exercises and patrols in the region of Indian Ocean. In 2016 the central has made a special request to France to speed up the deliveries of 36 Rafale combat jets and France acted upon it very quickly. These 36 Rafale combat jets were worth Rs. 59,000 crore. Planes are expected to land on July 27th 2020 at the Ambala airbase. Earlier the first batch of these jets were to deliver 4 of them in 2020 and the other two later. But France has stepped up its efforts to meet the India Army Forces’ immediate requirement.
According to reports 10 Rafale jets are already ready to dispatch at the manufacturer, Dassault Aviation Merignac facility in France. Out of these 10, 6 will be flown by the Indian Army Force pilots to India in late July. These planes will be flown to Ambala via Dubai on July 27th 2020.
In the letter Florence Parly also expressed her intentions on coming to India, on Rajnath Singh’s invitation to have a follow up on their ongoing discussions. Indian and Chinese troops have been engaged in a months-old tense standoff along the LAC, especially in Ladakh sector, where both sides have deployed thousands of additional troops.
By Deepika Agarwal
