As of January 20, 2021, the Indian and French air forces have launched a five-day exercise at Jodhpur Air Base in Rajasthan, India with Kashmir as the backdrop, as plans and new agreements coming to the fore soon.
There are reports of a very strong defense alliance between Paris and New Delhi, with France proving to be a very reliable partner for the Indians in difficult times.
The momentum of this India-France alliance has grown rapidly in recent years, finding common ground on global issues, including the Indian Ocean region and elsewhere.
The defense relationship between the two sides has developed at such a pace that many defense analysts have been surprised by the momentum that Paris has developed over the past two years, compared to the United States.
The next batch of Indian Rafale fighter jets to be delivered to India from France will reportedly be refueled by a United Arab Emirates (UAE) air refueling aircraft, adding another member to the France-India axis.
The cocktail of geopolitical tactics used by France is skillful, having persuaded Abu Dhabi to become a strategic partner of France, supplying Indian Rafale aircraft with UAE Airbus KC-30A MRTT.
France's goal is to penetrate the region, while tensions between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and growing Chinese influence in the Gulf countries create an explosive mix that will bring new developments.
The UAE seems to be becoming the best partner in West Asia, avoiding the use of political Islam and Turkish influence in their area of operation.
For India, however, the UAE and France are of great importance, firstly, because the UAE and France already have close political and military relations, including the two countries' actions in the Libyan civil war and their common interest in supporting General Haftar.
Secondly, both France and the UAE have taken realistic approaches to issues such as Kashmir, with President Emmanuel Macron stating that his government will not upgrade French weapons platforms currently operating in Pakistan.
Paris for New Delhi is now an alternative opposed to Moscow, which was considered the country's traditional customer.
For Macron, who was sharply criticized by Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan when he publicly stated his stance on "Islamist autonomy", relations with New Delhi became simpler and more substantial.
For India, close cooperation with France could also be beneficial on a third front, that of Iran.
These overlapping interests create a France-India-UAE tripartite axis, both geopolitically and geo-economically. The creation of the India-France-UAE tripartite axis could be beneficial to other countries (such as Greece for example).
