India and France have made progress in discussions on the Rafale fighter jet programme, with New Delhi continuing to emphasise greater local content and domestic manufacturing in defence cooperation, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Sunday after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.
Briefing reporters following the Modi-Macron meeting, Misri said the Rafale programme was among the issues discussed by the two leaders as they reviewed the full spectrum of India-France ties.
The discussions covered civil nuclear energy, defence, security, space, trade and investment, technology, innovation, education, mobility and people-to-people exchanges, he said.
Responding to a question on the Rafale programme, Misri said, **"Talks between the two countries have advanced."**
He noted that Prime Minister Modi has consistently advocated advancing the "Make in India" initiative alongside a framework of "co-development, co-design, co-production" in defence projects.
**"There were talks on Rafale and other issues in today's discussions but I will say the underlying theme was that in case of any defence platform we will move forward on the basis that there should be maximum local content, local manufacturing and our cooperation should be designed keeping this in mind,"** said Misri.
The remarks come amid expanding strategic cooperation between India and France across multiple sectors, with defence continuing to be a key pillar of the bilateral partnership. The focus on local manufacturing aligns with India's broader push to strengthen indigenous defence production while deepening collaboration with global partners.