New Delhi: The cooperation between India and France with respect to the Indo-Pacific has a larger significance, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Sunday after speaking to his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.
India and France have been ramping up cooperation in the Indo-Pacific in the last few years in the backdrop of increasing Chinese assertiveness in the region.
"Delighted to speak to French Foreign Minister @JY_LeDrian today. We recognized that our achievements of 2021 are a strong foundation for 2022. The presidency of EU that France occupies adds an important dimension to our strategic relationship," Jaishankar tweeted.
"Our cooperation with respect to the Indo-Pacific has a larger significance," he added after his telephonic talks with Le Drian.
France has taken the six-month rotating presidency of the European Union.
French Defence Minister Florence Parly, during a visit to India last month, said China is getting more and more aggressive in the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea and that there is a need to ensure freedom of navigation and compliance with international rules.