No 'scandal' in Rafale deal, says French ambassador to India

November 28, 2018 23:23

Ambassador of France to India Alexandre Ziegler Wednesday said there was no 'scandal' associated with the Rafale deal.

Pointing out at the 'cooperation' and 'trust' shared between both India and France, he asked people to look at the facts.

"What scandal? Just look at the facts, not at the tweets, that's my only recommendation. There is no scandal at all," Ziegler said in response to a question on whether the alleged Rafale scandal has made any dent in the partnership that France has with India.

Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru on the sidelines of the launch of French Tech Community, he said, "...look at the track record, look at the trust that has been built between our two countries in aeronautics.

Look at their commitment for Make in India, which is impressive. Fifty per cent offset is very unique, look at the major procurement..."

o a question about political comments regarding the HAL losing potential jobs because of the Rafale deal, Ziegler questioned whether the HAL has made any comments about losing jobs.

"Did they tell you that they have lost jobs?...I dont know what potential jobs are, he said, as he pointed out that there is a 50 per cent offset clause in the Rafale contract, which is about four billion Euros or about Rs 30,000 crore that is going to be invested in Make in India.

"That's huge (amount) and there will be room for hundreds of companies, including HAL, which has had a very fruitful historical cooperation with French companies," he added.

The ambassador also noted that all major French companies would be participating in Aero India, scheduled for February 20-24 in Bengaluru. -- PTI

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