Pranab Mukherjee to visit Germany, France

New Delhi, Sept 1: Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee leaves here tomorrow on a six-day official visit to France and Germany seen as highly significant to promoting bilateral relations, including those relating to defence, with the two European states.

Minister Mukherjee, being accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising officials from the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs, will first visit France from September 3 to 5 during which he is slated hold discussions with his French counterpart Ms Michele Aliotte-Marie.

Besides, he will visit the Centre for Planning and Operations Management (CPCO), the Joint Staff Operations Centre of the French Defence Forces, and the Command of Air Defence and Air Operations (CDAOA) at Taverny. CPCO deals with international operations, plans and execution at Joint Staff level.

The Indian delegation will be given an overview of all types of operations being undertaken by the French Defence Forces all over the world.

The Minister will also have an interactive roundtable with CEOs of French Defence- related industries. The visit is likely to achieve better results in the field of defence cooperation by way of strengthening defence relations, an official spokesperson said here today.

Defence relationship between India and France have been fairly robust in the field of supply and production of defence related equipment. The India-France Defence MOU signed in 1982 and Indo-French High Committee set up in 1998 are the landmarks in India-France Defence Cooperation. Bilateral cooperation has also increased in the field of joint exercises, security dialogue and training.

Shortly after his arrival in Paris on September 3, the Defence Minister will go to Neuve Chapelle to pay homage at the Indian Soldiers' Memorial, built in honour of the 'Army of India' which fought in France and Belgium during the First and Second World Wars and in remembrance of those servicemen who have no known grave.

In the second leg of his tour, to Germany, Minister Mukherjee will arrive in Berlin on September 5 where the two countries are expected to sign a Defence Cooperation Agreement for strengthening defence relations.

Minister Mukherjee's visit to Germany is aimed at enhancing Defence Cooperation between the two countries, at present not so extensive.

Acording to the spokesman, India was interested in enhancing defence cooperation with Germany in the field of Defence Technology and Training. Both the countries are also interested in cooperation in the field of Joint Naval Exercises and more interaction between their Armed Forces.

Minister Mukherjee will hold bilateral talks with his counterpart Franz Josef Jung and the German Minister for Economics and Technology Michael Gloss. He will also meet the captains of German Defence Industries.

During his stay in Berlin, the Defence Minister will pay homage at the Zehrensdorf Indian Cemetery where lie the graves of 206 Indian soldiers who died as prisoners during the First World War in Halbmond and Windberg Prisoner of War camps near Zossen. The cemetery has been rebuilt by the Common Wealth War Graves Commission.

The Defence Minister is being accompanied, among others, by senior officials of the Ministries of Defence and External Affairs, the Defence Research and Development Organisation and the Armed Forces.

The delegation includes Director General Acquisition S Banerjee, IDS chief Lt Gen HS Lidder, AOC-in-C, Eastern Command Air Marshal FH Major, and Dr Prahlada, CC R&D, DRDO, Ms Sujata Singh, Joint Secretary, Ministry External Affairs and Mr Gautam Chatterjee, Joint Secretary in the Defence Ministry.

UNI