India-France 'Air Staff Talks' focus on strengthening defence ties

The 22nd edition of Air Staff Talks between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the French Air and Space Force (FASF) was held in New Delhi from September 29 to October 1, 2025, with both sides focusing on enhancing bilateral defence cooperation, as per Indian Air Force. The deliberations covered key areas including joint training, combined exercises, exchange of ideas, professional military education, and sharing best practices. The discussions aimed to strengthen operational coordination and foster long-term strategic partnership between the two air forces. The meeting was co-chaired by Air Vice Marshal SK Taliyan from the Indian Air Force and Brigadier General Nicolas Chambaz from the French Air and Space Force, reflecting the high-level engagement and mutual commitment to deeper defence collaboration. “India and France have a strong and robust defence partnership with an increasing ‘Atmanirbharata’ element in it. The defence cooperation between the two sides is reviewed under Annual Defence Dialogue (Defence Minister level) and High Committee on Defence Cooperation (Secretary level), ” as per MEA.

Earlier in September, the two nations also held the Second Meeting of the India-France Special Task Force on Civil Nuclear Energy in the national capital, co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Secretary-General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Anne-Marie Descotes. The meeting reviewed progress in bilateral civil nuclear cooperation and explored avenues to deepen the strategic partnership across innovation, defence, and regional issues like the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the West Asia crisis. According to a press statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, both sides conducted a comprehensive review of advancements made over the past year, emphasising engagement in emerging technologies such as Small and Advanced Modular Reactors (SMRs/AMRs), as outlined in the Declaration of Intent signed in February 2025. Both sides also agreed to maintain close coordination on key aspects of civil nuclear cooperation. “During the meeting, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of the progress made over the past year through various meetings and consultations. They agreed to remain in close touch over various key aspects of bilateral civil nuclear cooperation. They reaffirmed the importance of engagement in emerging technologies like Small and Advanced Modular Reactors (SMRs/AMRs), as articulated by the Declaration of Intent on SMRs and AMRs signed in February 2025,” the MEA statement read. The discussions also covered broader bilateral ties, including innovation, technology, defence, space, counter-terrorism, and trilateral cooperation with third countries.