By Our Special Correspondent
India and France on Wednesday agreed to set up an Indo-Pacific trilateral framework to formulate development projects, decided to expand strategic cooperation and vowed to work closely to tackle pressing global challenges such as the food crisis triggered by the war in Ukraine.
After wide-ranging talks with her Indian counterpart S Jaishankar, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna described Russia's attacks on Ukraine as a "war of destructive aggression" on the territory of a sovereign state, and France was determined to work with India in "the dire consequences of war."
Referring to the Indo-Pacific, she said many challenges have emerged because of China and that both France and India share the same concerns because "we know the role the Chinese are playing and we want to ensure there is no imbalance in the region".
India and France have also agreed to expand cooperation in the Indo-Pacific under separate trilateral with Australia and the United Arab Emirates.
As France and India have always supported each other, such solidarity and trust is "rare and rarer" in today's world.
In dealing with the global food crisis, she suggested that an initiative could be proposed at the upcoming G20 summit in Indonesia to ensure that the most vulnerable countries "are not more vulnerable to these food security issues".
"When the core principles of the international rules-based order are violated anywhere, they are undermined everywhere, including in the Indo-Pacific, where respect for international law has long been undermined. India knows this better than anyone." She spoke about the conflict in Ukraine at a joint media conference with Jaishankar.
"As an Indo-Pacific nation, our commitment to the region is unwavering. The war in Ukraine will not affect that. And India is and will be central to our comprehensive strategy for the region," she said.
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