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Two weeks ago, the Indian and French navies conducted a three-day (April 25-27) bilateral naval exercise. The exercise was part of the annual series of bilateral exercises between the Indian and French militaries that have the stated goal of upholding the rules-based order and promoting a stable maritime security order in the Indo-Pacific. Varuna 2021 was the 19th edition of this series of exercises. France has remained one of India’s strongest strategic partners and given the growing security challenges India faces in its immediate neighborhood and in the Indo-Pacific, it is likely that there will be further enhancement of this partnership.