Joint Training, Counter-Terrorism: India, France Expand Partnership As Army Chiefs Meet Ahead Of UNTCC 2025
On the sidelines of UNTCC 2025, General Dwivedi met with his French counterpart General Pierre Schill. Image courtesy: X.com/@adgpi
Being the third-largest contributor to UN peacekeeping forces, India is hosting this year’s United Nations Troop Contributing Countries (UNTCC) Chiefs’ Conclave in New Delhi from Tuesday (October 14, 2025) to Thursday (October 16, 2025). Ahead of the official start of the conclave, delegates from 32 countries that contribute troops to UN peacekeeping missions reached the national capital on Monday (October 13, 2025).
On the sidelines of the big event, Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi met several leaders including his French counterpart. He held high-level talks with French Army Chief General Pierre Schill on Monday. Officials said that the dialogue focused on expanding the scope of joint military training exercises, enhancing counter-terrorism cooperation.
Additionally, their talks also explored defence technology collaboration. “The two Chiefs reaffirmed the robust Indo-French strategic partnership, with discussions on expanding joint training exercises, counter-terrorism cooperation and defence technology collaboration,” Indian Army said on X.
Indian Army chief meets French counterpart: How significant is this?
Both sides emphasised the need for enhanced interoperability in UN peacekeeping operations. Notably, the meeting of Indian and French Army chiefs comes less than a month after the 17th meeting of the India-France Joint Working Group (JWG) on Counter Terrorism (CT) held in Paris.
The Indian delegation was led by K D Dewal, Joint Secretary (CT), Ministry of External Affairs, while the French side was headed by Olivier Caron, France’s Counter-Terrorism Ambassador.
During this meeting, the two sides discussed the Pahalgam terror attack, counter-terrorism challenges, multilateral collaboration, among other things. Moreover, the ongoing military engagement between India and France builds on General Dwivedi’s visit to France earlier this year, which marked a significant milestone in advancing bilateral defence cooperation.
How did the 2 chiefs emphasise strategic cooperation?
Both military leaders reaffirmed the “robust Indo-French strategic partnership,” focusing on long-term synergy across multiple domains. The Indian Army posted on X about the meeting, highlighting shared priorities such as joint training initiatives, counter-terrorism coordination, defence technology partnerships, and enhanced operational interoperability in UN peacekeeping missions.
The post also underscored shared commitments with hashtags like #UNTCC2025, #UNPeacekeeping, and #GlobalSecurity.
What is the significance of the UNTCC conclave?
The global UN peacekeeping conclave is at the core of India’s outreach, with New Delhi all set for hosting senior military leaders from 32 troop-contributing nations. As one of the largest contributors to UN peacekeeping missions, India is leading deliberations on strengthening global peace operations.
The forum serves as a platform to address operational challenges in the field, evolving threats to peacekeepers, interoperability among multinational forces, inclusivity in decision-making, technological advancements and training frameworks. The conclave is expected to shape future peacekeeping norms through shared understanding and collaboration.
Meanwhile, the UNTCC conclave aims to bring together senior military leadership to exchange best practices, overcome mission challenges, and align on future peacekeeping frameworks.
