French envoy Lenain pays tribute to IAF on Kargil Vijay Diwas

New Delhi [India], July 26 : Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain on Tuesday paid tributes to the brave soldiers of the Indian Armed Forces who laid down their lives in the 1999 Kargil War against Pakistan on the occasion of Kargil Vijay Diwas, when India commemorated 23 years of its victory over Pakistan in the Kargil War.
Taking to Twitter the French envoy said, "On #KargilVijayDiwas, I join my Indian friends in paying tribute to the Indian Armed Forces. As exemplified by the Mirage 2000s and now the Rafale jets, France has always stood by India, our foremost strategic partner in Asia."
He hailed the strategic partnership between the two countries saying, "France has always stood by India, which is its leading strategic partner in Asia."
France is fast growing as India's partner in defence cooperation. The two countries share a strong strategic and defence partnership.
As seen in the timely delivery of the Rafale despite the pandemic, the two sides enjoy synergy in the field of defence.
In February 2022, India received the eighth batch of three Rafale fighter aircraft from France.
"The aircraft were provided aerial refuelling support by the UAE Air Force. With the arrival of these three planes, India has now received 35 of the 36 Rafales for which it had signed a contract with France in September 2016. The 36th aircraft will arrive in India from France by March-end or April first week," said government officials.
With this, Rs 60,000 crore contract between India and France for 36 Rafale fighter jets is now nearing completion as only one aircraft is left to be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF).
It is pertinent to mention here that in September 2016, India ordered 36 Rafale fighter aircraft from France. The addition of Rafale is seen as a major capability booster for the IAF.
In September 2021, the Indian Air Force received two-second hand Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft from France, which were brought to the Gwalior airbase as a boost to India's fighter jet fleet.
The two aircraft were acquired by the Indian Air Force as part of the programme to make up the number of aircraft in the Mirage fighter fleet to around 50.
The IAF had acquired around 51 Mirages in different batches and they form three squadrons which are all based in the Gwalior Air Force station.
The Mirages have been in service since the 1980s and have been the mainstay of the force from the Kargil war to the 2019 Balakot airstrikes where they bombed a Jaish e Mohammed terrorist camp in Pakistan.
The Mirages also successfully took out Pakistan Army camps and bunkers on the Tiger Hilltop in the Kargil war and changed the face of the war by successfully hitting enemy camps at such high altitudes with pinpoint precision using laser-guided bombs.
India and France have built one of the premier strategic partnerships for advancing peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. They share a vision of a free, open and rules-based Indo-Pacific region, based on a commitment to international law, respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, freedom of navigation and a region free from coercion, tensions and conflicts.
Meanwhile, India celebrates Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on July 26 every year to honour the valour and sacrifice of the soldiers who laid down their lives in the line of duty during the Kargil War. The day marks the victory of Indian soldiers in recapturing the mountain heights that were occupied by the Pakistani Army on July 26, 1999.
The Indian Armed Forces defeated Pakistan on July 26, 1999. Since then, the day is celebrated as 'Kargil Vijay Diwas' to rekindle the pride and valour of the soldiers who took part in Operation Vijay.
The Kargil War was fought between May 8, 1999, to July 26, 1999, against Pakistan intruders, who in the winters of 1998 transgressed into the Indian territory across the Line of Control and occupied fortified defences overlooking the NH 1A in Kargil's Drass and Batalik Sectors of Ladakh region with a nefarious aim of dominating all military and civil movement on the highway.