Just ahead of his visit to India on Friday, 9 March, French president Emmanuel Macron said that his country will not have any objection in disclosing information on the Rafale deal if it resolves political stalemate between the centre and the opposition. The deal between India and France involves the purchase of 36 Rafale jet fighters.
Macron’s statement comes at a time when the government is facing constant flak from the opposition over the deal, with the Centre refusing to divulge details citing national security.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi had earlier alleged massive corruption, accusing that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was directly involved in it.
In an interview with India Today, Macron said that proper attention was given to the economic, industrial and strategic interests in finalising the deal. While he maintained that the deal was not signed during his tenure, he asserted that it was signed keeping in mind the interests of both the countries.
Macron further justified the secrecy clause stating that it was not advisable to give out the details of an “extremely sensitive” business interest.
The details of the commercial agreements should not be made known to rival companies as doing so may hamper the interests of the firms and hence, secrecy is justified.French President Emmanuel Macron to India Today
However, the French government will have no objection towards disclosing it if that is necessary to clear the confusion, the President said.
While the earlier deal was struck with the previous French government, the Macron-led government is seeking to expand on it, sources told BusinessLine.
The business paper reported that French Defence Minister Florence Parly had already pushed for a follow-on order on Rafale during her visit to India last October. However, the Modi government was reportedly 'non-committal' on the proposal.
Macron will arrive in New Delhi on 9 March for a four-day state visit to India, during which he will hold a summit meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A framework agreement on Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP) is expected to be signed between the two sides during the visit.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will hold delegation-level talks with the French president on 10 March.
(With inputs from India Today, Business Line)
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