New Delhi/ Paris, April 14, : India and France discussed “new initiatives” under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanism for two days in the latest round of Joint Staff talks, Defence Ministry said on Thursday. “The 20th edition of India-France Joint Staff talks was held in Paris, France on April 12-13, 2022. The meeting was co-chaired by Assistant Chief of Integrated Staff Air Vice Marshal B Manikantan and Head of Bilateral Cooperation South/Staff HQ Brigadier General Eric Peltier,” the ministry said in a statement. The meeting was conducted in a friendly, warm and cordial atmosphere. The discussions focused on new initiatives under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanism and strengthening ongoing defence engagements, the ministry added. The India-France Joint Staff talks is a forum established to enhance defence cooperation between both the nations through regular talks at the strategic and operational levels. India and France have close defence ties and the two countries have just concluded the 20th edition of the bilateral naval exercise Varuna-2022 with final phase of the war games focusing on advanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises. ASU RKM