Senior advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, Emmanuel Bonne has said that France has been been supportive of India on Kashmir and has not allowed China to play any “procedural games” at the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), reports Times of India.
Bonne who is visiting India for the annual strategic dialogue between the two nations said, “When China breaks the rules, we have to be very robust and very clear and this is the sense of our naval presence in the Indian Ocean.”
Speaking at the “France and India Partners for a Stable and Prosperous Indo-Pacific”, organised by the Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), Bonne also said France may hold some naval exercises with the QUAD — the grouping of US, Japan, Australia and India them in future pointing out that the French Navy is the only European Navy which patrols the Taiwan strait.
However, he made it very clear that the patrols was not a provocation but a way to assert the necessity to abide by international law.
Speaking at the VIF, Emmanuel Bonne, the diplomatic advisor to French President Emmanuel Macron, said, “When China breaks the rules, we have to be very robust and very clear and this is the sense of our naval presence in the Indian Ocean.”
“In particular we are sharing information, we are manoeuvring together our navies, our air and space commandments are coordinating. We are building capacities and cooperating. When it comes to the Indian Ocean, we are working on maritime surveillance,” he said.
Bonne will also call on other Indian dignitaries during his visit also said, “Let us not go for confrontation and I understand that it’s much easier to say this from Paris than from Delhi when you have Pakistan at your border,”.
On direct threats to India, we have always been very clear. Whether it be on Kashmir, we have been very supportive of India in the Security Council, we have not let the Chinese play any kind of procedural games. When it comes to the Himalayas, just check our statements, we are perfectly clear. What we say publicly, we say to the Chinese also privately, there is no ambiguity,” he said.
Bonne also shared about the his conversation with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval at the Strategic Dialogue and said both of them discussied about strategic opportunities as well as the bilateral defence and security relationship and more military cooperation and the Indian Ocean Region.
“In particular we are sharing information, we are maneuvering together our navies, our air and space commandments are coordinating. We are building capacities and cooperating. When it comes to the Indian Ocean, we are working on maritime surveillance,” he said.