NEW DELHI (PTI): Senior officials of India and France held a two-day military dialogue with a focus on boosting overall defence cooperation.

The 21st edition of India-France Military Sub Committee (MSC) meeting was held on October 16 and 17 at the Air Force station in the national capital.

India-France MSC is a forum established to advance defence cooperation through regular talks at strategic and operational levels.

"The meeting was conducted in a friendly, warm and cordial atmosphere," the defence ministry said.

"The discussions focused on new initiatives under the ambit of existing bilateral defence cooperation mechanism and strengthening ongoing defence engagements," it said.

The defence and strategic ties between India and France have been on an upswing in the last few years.

In July, India and France announced a raft of ground-breaking defence cooperation projects including the joint development of jet and helicopter engines and construction of three Scorpene submarines for the Indian Navy.

The two strategic partners also expressed commitment to cooperate in the co-development and co-production of advanced defence technologies, including for the benefit of third countries.