New Delhi, June 2: Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday informed that he had telephonic conversation with French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly, during which they discussed timely delivery of Rafale Aircraft despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Informing about his telephonic conversation, the Union Defence Minister said, as quoted by news agency ANI, "Had a telephonic conversation with French Minister of Armed Forces Florence Parly today. We discussed matters of mutual concern including COVID-19 situation, regional security & agreed to strengthen Bilateral Defence Cooperation between India & France." Defence Minister Rajnath Singh Holds Telephonic Talks With Australian Counterpart Linda Reynolds, Discusses COVID-19 Situation.

Adding more, he said, "We also appreciated the efforts made by Armed Forces of India and France in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. France has affirmed its commitment to ensure timely delivery of Rafale Aircraft despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic."

Here's what Rajanath Singh said:

Last week, Singh held a telephonic conversation with his Australian counterpart Linda Reynolds to discuss mutual cooperation between both the countries to combat the coronavirus pandemic. Defence minister Singh also said that both the countries are committed to taking forward the initiatives of bilateral defence and security cooperation under the Strategic Partnership framework.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 02, 2020 02:29 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).