India, Feb. 20 -- France has always been India's chosen partner in the West. India-France relations date back to early 1948, when the two established ties based on mutual trust, respecting each other's autonomous choices in world politics. It further matured in 1998 when the relations entered the strategic realm of defence, space and civil nuclear partnership under the Strategic Partnership framework. Since then, France has remained one of the most important suppliers of defence equipment to India and the trust has only built over the years. It is noteworthy that France did not disengage with India after the Pokhran nuclear tests. In this background, President Emmanuel Macron's recent fourth visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minis...