Dassault Aviation also released a statement claiming that following the announcement of the final selection of the Rafale in the frame of the MMRCA program, Dassault Aviation and its partners are honored and grateful to the Indian Government and the people of India to be given the opportunity to extend their long-lasting cooperation. Dassault Aviation also stated that they reiterate their commitment to meet the operational requirements of the Indian Air Force and underline their pride in contributing to India's defence for over half a century. The French Minister of State for Foreign Trade Pierre Lellouche called the selection as a positive sign for the struggling French economy but he later cautioned that a number of things remained to be finalized: "I confirm that we are in a very positive phase for the Rafale in India. ... At this stage we have to remain prudent; we are in a phase of exclusive negotiations. We have won the contract but there a number of things to finalize so let's be cautious for now". He also stated that he hoped that the order will finally open up real perspectives for the Rafale programme and referring to the lobbying done by the American, Russian and British governments, added that the political pressure applied by the competitors did not make things very easy.