MMRCA: india tries to soothe upset britain

With the loss of the multi-million dollar MMRCA fighter-jet deal causing much heart-burn in the United Kingdom, the Indian government has sought to reassure the British by saying that it appreciates the cooperation extended by them in various fields.
India has been slammed in the UK by various quarters for deciding on French company Dassault Rafale as the preferred bidder for the MMRCA. The loser in the race was the EADS, a four-nation consortium of which the UK is a part.
Attempting to apply salve on Britain’s wounds, the ministry of external affairs in a statement here on Wednesday said: “Relations between India and UK are warm and friendly and have stood the test of time.” It added, “India appreciates cooperation extended by UK in a number of areas, which have contributed to India’s overall development efforts, particularly through capacity building, exchange of best practices, knowledge sharing and sharing of technology and technical expertise. The cooperation between India and UK has been and remains mutually beneficial.” Its hopes dashed for not bagging the deal, a section of the UK media has been harsh in its criticism of India.

 The Asian Age