January 25, 2016 7:48 AM

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Rafale jet deal on right track: French President Hollande

French President Francois Hollande has affirmed that Rs 60,000 crore Rafale fighter jets deal with India was "on the right track". He said, it would pave the way for an unprecedented industrial and technological bilateral cooperation for the next 40 years.<br/><br/>Mr. Hollande told PTI in a interview yesterday that "we are on the right track" but agreed that on the technicalities of this arrangement obviously takes time. He also noted that Indo-French cooperation in defence "is part of our strategic partnership. It is based on trust, a very strong trust between both our countries."<br/><br/>The deal for India to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to France last April.<br/><br/>He said, Indo-French relationship is based on shared values of freedom, democracy and progress. The French President said, he has also come to India to strengthen our relationship in several areas: defense, space and civil nuclear energy, as well as education, research, culture.<br/><br/>He said, our cooperation on the fight against climate change and on clean energies has taken on an unprecedented importance. And India has contributed to the success of the Paris climate conference, he added. Mr. Hollande said, his visit will enable us to conclude a series of new agreements and take a step towards the implementation of the agreements we signed last April in Paris.<br/><br/>He said, he is thinking of railways, smart cities, food security, higher education, as well as cinema. The variety of subjects reflects the density of what France and India can do together, he noted.

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