JOIN USFrance on Friday cited a 2008 bilateral security agreement that prevents disclosure of sensitive commercial information on the Rafale combat aircraft deal within hours of Congress president Rahul Gandhi making such demand in the Lok Sabha.
“There is a security agreement between France and India, signed in 2008, which legally binds the two states to protect the classified information provided by the partner, which could, in particular, impact the security and operational capabilities of the defence equipment. Its provisions naturally apply to the intergovernmental agreement concluded on September 23 2016, concerning the acquisition of 36 Rafale and their armaments,” pointed a statement released by the French foreign office.
Quoting a French minister, the statement said that the French official took note of what Gandhi said in the Parliament, but it further went on to quote an interview given by the President Emmanuel Macron in which French leader stated, “In France as in India, when an agreement is very sensitive, we can not reveal all the details.”
The reactions are in sync with what defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in the Lok Sabha earlier while countering the charges. She quoted the same agreement (signed by her predecessor A K Antony) and cited the same interview of President Macro to drive home the point that such sensitive information couldn't be disclosed.