New Delhi: Indian PM Narendra Modi has said India and France have special responsibility for maintaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

" We believe that India-France partnership will be a crucial pillar of the inter-connected and intersecting arrangements in the Indo-Pacific region and indispensable for a peaceful and prosperous future for the Indo-Pacific region," Modi said.

He said:"We will work together to advance the objectives of Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative which aims to address common challenges in the region through collaborative actions under its seven pillars. Under France’s lead on the Maritime Resources pillar, we will work together to implement practical projects, in synergy with, and under, the various bilateral, regional and global initiatives by the two sides, for creating an ecosystem for sustainable development of maritime resources and combatting activities like IUU fishing."

"We will strengthen maritime security coordination through IFC-IOR in India, EMASoH in UAE and Atalanta, RCOC in Seychelles, RMIFC in Madagascar and ReCAAP in Singapore. France also supports India’s willingness to join Combined Maritime Forces (CMF)," Modi said.

He said India and France want to see a free, open, inclusive, secure and peaceful Indo Pacific region.