India, France committed to face challenges: French consul general

PUDUCHERRY: Consul general of France Lise Talbot Barré paid rich tributes to the courage of Ukraine, which has been defending itself for 505 days against the aggression led by Russia.

Speaking after laying a wreath at the French War Memorial on Beach Road in Puducherry to pay tributes to French Indian soldiers, who laid their lives in the Second World War, as part of Bastille Day celebrations on Friday, she said people are once again faced with the absurdity of fighting and atrocities caused by war in these times of war in Europe.

"My thoughts are with all the victims in Ukraine...France has supported Ukraine from day one and will continue to do so until peace returns to Europe. France not only supplies Ukraine with military and humanitarian equipment, it also trains Ukrainian soldiers in France and Poland," she said adding that France has trained 5,200 soldiers since the conflict began.

The consul general said France also provides funds and experts, investigators, and judges to the International Criminal Court to document the war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia to combat impunity.

"Finally, I would like to recall the immense outpouring of solidarity from the French people towards the Ukrainian people. Numerous collections of donations, food and essential goods were organised throughout the country throughout last year, not to mention the thousands of Ukrainian refugees, who were welcomed to France," she said.

The Consul General said India was the guest of honour at French National Day celebrations in Paris. "This year is an exceptional one, as it marks the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between our two countries...This visit by Prime Minister Narendra Modi provides an opportunity to renew and update the strategic partnership between our two nations for the next 25 years. India and France are jointly committed to meeting the challenges facing our two countries: defence, space, energy, cyber security, and the fight against terrorism," she said.

She said the partnership between two countries continues to deepen on these issues, in the Indo-Pacific region, where stability and prosperity are at the heart of the strategy. "India is at the heart of the region's security, environmental and commercial challenges, and is one of the pillars of our Indo-Pacific strategy. Our relationship and our partnership are now unavoidable, and we will pursue them over the long term," she said.
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