An accord India and France signed on 25 January in New Delhi for 36 Dassault Rafale fighters for the Indian Air Force (IAF), although initially declared an inter-governmental agreement (IGA), is now being described by Indian officials as a memorandum of understanding (MoU), preparatory to a more binding IGA. "What was signed was an MoU and when the financial part of it [the deal] is settled, then obviously the IGA in its entirety will be concluded," S Jaishankar, the most senior civil servant in India's foreign ministry, has told reporters. His clarification followed Indian prime minister Narendra Modi's statement that an IGA for the Rafales "has been completed, and now only a few financial issues remain" at a joint press conference with French president Francois Hollande in Delhi.
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