'Rafale jets show strong India-France partnership': French envoy Emmanuel Lenain

The French envoy to India Emmanuel Lenain, speaking ahead of the arrival of Rafale fighter jets has said it shows "strong partnership between our two countries." 

Speaking to the Principal Diplomatic Correspondent of WION, Sidhant Sibal, at Delhi's Palam airport where the French military planes landed with COVID-19 medical aid, envoy Lenain said, "India is a world leader in the production of the vaccine" and "it is going to be like this for COVID-19."

France sent 120 ventilators, along with 50,000 serological test kits 50,000 nose and throat swabs to India on Tuesday. The French envoy said it is in "reciprocation" of India's help to France when it was hit by COVID-19.

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

France has sent some "gifts" as ventilators, testing kits, to India amid the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. Can you give us the details?

In France, we have a saying, there is no such thing as love, only proofs of love. This is what is happening between France and India. Your country has helped us tremendously during the peak of COVID-19 in France a few months ago. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has allowed the export of medical goods and drugs for use to French hospitals. 

Today we want to reciprocate and help India steer through the COVID-19 crisis. We have sent an exceptional package of assistance. There are some ventilators, testing kits, best of the best experts who will interact and exchange best practices with Indians counterparts. 

We have been discussing with the Indian government for weeks now how to find exactly what is needed. Many things that we will be giving will be used to transport medically ill patients. Testing kits, 50,000 of them. All this has been brought in a military plane that has been refit to transport patients.

How are both India and France collaborating during the coronavirus crisis, especially when it comes to researching the COVID-19 vaccine?

Lenain: We have been collaborating since the beginning, at all levels. Your Prime Minister and our President have been talking extensively, exchanging good practices. What they can do at the national level, launch international and multilateral level basically it goes from response to way out. 

The way out obviously will be via a vaccine. We recognize India is a world leader in the production of the vaccine. It has been for years, it is going to be like this for COVID-19. We push for strong collaboration between our institutes, between our companies and research to make sure an affordable, efficient vaccine will be provided to our population as quickly as possible and as widely as possible.

Five Rafales will land in India on Wednesday. How do you see the development in terms of the defense partnership?

Lenain: We are very proud of it and delighted that they are coming. These are outstanding planes. It shows the strong partnership between our two countries. They are coming with Indian pilots and technicians. They have been trained in France and from what I understand they have been doing very well.

And with regard to that, any special way to welcome them to India...

Lenain: You have to ask the Indian authorities but they are planning something outstanding in the coming weeks.

Global geopolitics is changing very fast. While countries are coming together, we have seen an aggressive China. The latest in these instances is the Galwan valley incident.. how do you see these developments?

Lenain: The world out of COVID-19 is not going to be a simple world. The world is going to be even more dangerous in many aspects. That is why you need to reinforce partnership, and friends in India are doing that and I am very confident when I see the strength of the partnership between our two countries.