New Delhi India January 5, 2015 ANI French Vice-Admiral Christophe Lucas visited Information Fusion Centre for Indian Ocean Region IFC-IOR on Wednesday to work with partners, especially India, to improve maritime safety and security in the Indian Ocean Region.
Vice Admiral Christophe Lucas, Head of Foreign Relations, French Navy, visited IFCIOR and was briefed on the collaboration efforts of the Centre towards enhancing maritime safety and security in IOR, according to IFC-IOR.
France was the first foreign partner of India to have a liaison officer at the IFC-IOR.
Our two nations are sharing more real-time, sensitive information on maritime awareness in the Indian Ocean region," said Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India.
At the India-France strategic dialogue both countries decided to expand the defence and security partnership by enhancing intelligence sharing, bolstering capabilities, expanding military drills and pursuing new initiatives in the maritime, space and cyber domains in the light of Chinese assertiveness in the Indian Ocean.
India is helping in capacity building to assist the littoral states of the IOR.
France has stressed its commitment to the Indo-Pacific region as a resident power and partnership with India as a major pillar of its strategy for the region.
The French Presidency of the European Union in the first half of 2022 is expected to give a further shape to the EU's engagement in the Indo-Pacific region.
A resident power is a force to reckon with in the international politics of that region, as it does not own territory or have a territorial presence in a particular region of the world.
France needs to protect its colonial territorial possessions like Reunion Island and the Indian Ocean as a zone of influence for India.