IAF chief B S Dhanoa holds talks with French counterpart

Andre Lanata, chief of the French Air Force Staff, met his Indian counterpart Air Chief Marshal B S Dhanoa and discussed matters relating to inter-services cooperation, the French embassy here said today.

Lante, on a four-day visit to India, also met Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat and Defence Secretary Sanjay Mitra, the embassy said in a statement.

Lanta arrived in India yesterday and will be here until February 8. He laid a wreath at India Gate to honour the fallen Indian soldiers in a battle in France during World War I.

"The excellence of these meetings reaffirmed the close and long-standing ties between the Indian and French armed forces with regard to inter-services cooperation and sharing operational experiences," the statement quoted French envoy to India, Ambassador Alexandre Ziegler, as saying.