Squadron Leader Sindhu Reddy said it is a moment of tremendous pride for India since "we will be representing our country as well as our Force on foreign land in front of our PM who will be witnessing the parade...I will be commanding the Air Force's contingent which comprises 77 personnel of which 68 will be marching..." she said.
Meanwhile, Indian Ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf on Wednesday said Indian Rafale jets taking part in the Bastille Day flypast over the Champs Elysees, Paris, will send a message across the world that India-France ties are very strong and close.
AdvertisementIn an interaction with ANI, Ashraf said that the flypast and marching by the IAF air warriors on Bastille Day follow a long association that the two nations share, especially in the field of air power.
The Indian envoy also termed Rafale being part of the Bastille Day flypast as "very important."
"Any ship could have come from India. We have many ships. What is important is that both our soldiers have a lot of inter-operability, a lot of trust and in this way, this Bastille Day parade sends a message to the whole world that the partnership between India and France is very close," he told ANI.
Ashraf also underlined that the India-France partnership is about the power of values. "The military relations that we have are to protect our values, without claiming or suppressing anyone else. We call it Prime Minister's partnership of values," he added.
On Monday, France's ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain tweeted: "A warm welcome to France for the Indian Rafale jets that will soar in the skies of Paris on Friday for #BastilleDay!"
Also, in a major development, India's Defence Ministry has given an initial nod to the plans to buy 26 Rafale fighter aircraft and three Scorpene class conventional submarines from France.
The proposals were approved by the Defence Procurement Board of the Defence Ministry and will now be taken up by the Defence Acquisition Council for discussion most likely on July 13, government sources told ANI.
The deals, once accorded Acceptance of Necessity by the DAC, are likely to be announced during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to France this week, the sources said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
