French company Naval Group on Tuesday said it remains ‘fully committed’ to India’s ‘aatmanirbhar Bharat‘ plans for maritime defence and that it shared the ‘same bilateral trust and strategic ties’ that marked the relationship between the two countries. “We continue to strengthen our existing commitments and close association with the industry and the Indian Navy… as such focusing efforts on integration of indigenous technology, such as AIP (air independent propulsion) from DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) in Indian Navy submarines,” the firm tweeted.
Clarification on continued strong ties with India and the Indian Navy comes after the company this week said it was unable to participate in the government’s P-75I submarine project, under which six conventional subs are to be built (domestically) for the country’s naval defence.