Prime Minister Modi’s France Visit- 25 Years to a Glorious Alliance

On 25 years of Indo-French cooperation, the two countries agreed to adopt a road map to define the direction of bilateral relations till 2047, which marks 100 years of India’s independence and 100 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and 50 years of strategic partnership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on the afternoon of July 13 that India-France relations are focused on the next quarter century. In an interview at Les Echos before embarking on a trip to Paris, the prime minister pitched a vital overhaul of the international political and economic architecture, describing India as a bridge between the West and the Global South. As they have done since 1998, both nations have agreed to work in partnership in common with their sovereign and strategic interests. To deepen this Strategic Partnership and uphold the universal values ​​of freedom, equality, democracy, and the rule of law, India and France have decided to strengthen cooperation in the future sector to strengthen their sovereignty and decision-making autonomy and jointly respond to the main challenges facing our planet through our collaboration between India and the European Union.

The Journal and Agenda for the visit

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited France on July 13^th and 14^th.
• PM Modi addressed the French Diaspora Program at La Seine Musiquele, a music and performing arts center in Paris.
• He was invited as the guest of honor for the Bastille Day parade on July 14^th, which marks a golden event, because France does not invite foreign dignitaries to the parade every year.
• Three contingents of the Indian marching service participated here. Rafale jets from the Indian Air Force were also part of the flight.
• Following the Bastille Day Parade, Prime Minister Modi was invited for a private dinner at the French President’s official reception at the Elysee Palace.
• President Macron also hosted a gala dinner for PM Modi at the Cour Marly in the Louvre, attended by more than 250 dignitaries.
• Further, PM Modi met the Prime Minister of France, the president of the Senate, and the National Assembly of France. He also interacted with eminent French personalities and leaders of Indian and French companies.
• The joint statement titled “25th Anniversary of Strategic Partnership between France and India: Towards a Century of Indo-French Relations” set the course for bilateral relations till 2047, an important milestone for both nations.
• The ground plan for the relationship is built on three uprights: Partnership for Security and Sovereignty, Partnership for the Planet, and Partnership for People.

Partnership for Security and Sovereignty

1. Defense Cooperation:

• India and France celebrate the timely delivery of 36 Rafales ordered by India.
• Defense cooperation in advanced aviation technology by supporting the joint development of fighter jet engines.
• To continue the work on the first Scorpene submarine building program (P75 – Kalvari) has been thriving under the Make in India model and sharing of maritime experience between companies from the two countries.
• The MoU between Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd. (GRSE), and Naval Group France, a leader in the European Naval Defence Industry to collaborate in the field of the surface ship that caters to fulfil the requirement of India and International Naval forces.

2. Indo- Pacific sustainable development:

• The two nations have sworn on a commitment to work together to secure economic and security interests and ensure equal and free access to the global community.
• To promote international legal norms, work with others in the region and beyond and build a balanced and stable order in the region that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.
• Trilateral cooperation with similar partners in the region will be the main pillar of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, especially through the dialogue launched with the United Arab Emirates, a strategic partner of the two countries and Australia.
• Through the unique model of the triangular development partnership, India and France will work to establish the Indo-Pacific Triangular Partnership (IPTDC) Foundation, climate and SDG-focused innovation and initiatives from third countries of the Indo-Pacific.

3. Space:

• CNES and ISRO will strengthen their partnership primarily around two structural axes: climate and environment, with the development of the TRISHNA mission and activities within the Space Climate Observatory (SCO) on topics such as water resource management, marine resources, and air quality monitoring; Space exploration (Mars, Venus), maritime surveillance, launch and manned flights in connection with India’s Gaganyaan program.
• By involving their space industries, countries seek to increase synergy in the field of independent access to space and develop forward-looking technologies to increase the flexibility of access to space.
• India and France will also continue to engage through the newly institutionalized Bilateral Strategic Space Dialogue.

4. Promoting Multilateralism and combating terrorism:

• To promote the reform of the Security Council to expand membership in both categories.
• To resist attempts to undermine the fundamental principles of the international order, especially those contained in the UN Charter, and to reform global governance to reflect modern realities.
• India and France support the Paris agenda set after the summit on a new global financial agreement.
• Operational cooperation, multilateral action, against online radicalization, and combating the financing of terrorism, through the initiative No Money for Terror (NMFT) and the Christian Call to End Terrorism and Content Violent Extremism.
• To deepen cooperation in internal security and transnational organized crime, including human trafficking, financial crime, and environmental crime.
• Efforts to formalize cooperation between India’s National Security Guard (NSG) and France’s Groupe d’intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale (GIGN).

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5. Science, Technology, Health, and Academic Cooperation:

• Increase collaboration in modern digital technologies such as supercomputing, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.
• Announcing a contract between Atos and the Indian Ministry of Science to provide supercomputers.
• Cooperation in the field of health and medicine, promoting digital health, AI for Healthcare, medical waste treatment technology, biotechnology, and a common health approach.
• Signing of technical and safety agreements in the field of civil aviation to support the expansion of routes between France and India and the development of the Indian civil aviation market.

Partnership for the Planet World Problems

1. Climate Objectives, Climate Change, and Biodiversity

• Transition towards low carbon economy and Paris Climate Agreement Objectives.
• The Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership, International Solar Alliance, and the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) to protect marine and terrestrial biodiversity.
• Cooperation on low and medium-power modular reactors or small modular reactors (SMR), Advanced modular reactors (AMR), and Jules Horowitz Research Reactor (JHR).
• Decarbonated Hydrogen Production, increased emphasis on Solar energy and Hydropower.
• Climate ambitions to achieve carbon neutrality, and recognize the importance of decarbonization, in line with Mission LiFE or Lifestyles for Environment.
• Indo-French commitment to the elimination of single-use plastic pollution.
• Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership (I3P), Treaty on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biodiversity in Areas beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ).

2. Urban and Ecological Transitions, given Sustainable Development:

• 2nd phase of City Investments for Innovation, Integration, and Sustainability (CITIIS 2.0) will promote innovative solutions to improve climate governance at the state level and empower city officials.
• Dialogue on transport and railway connectivity.
• Intense bilateral dialogue to resolve the difficulties encountered by Indian and French exporters and investors in their respective markets, particularly in the context of the bilateral Fast Track procedure.
• Invest India and Business France have signed an MoU for cooperation in facilitating investors from France and India in each other’s economies.

Partnership for the People

1. Welfare of the Youth:

• The Partnership Agreement on Migration and Mobility (2021) is a commitment towards enhancing the mobility of students, graduates, academics, researchers, professionals, and skilled workers.
• Revitalizing Linguistic cooperation and language learning in schools and colleges.
• To create a community of Indian graduates, France will grant a five-year Schengen visa to Indians who have a master’s degree from a university recognized by the French university system and who have studied in France for at least one semester.

2. Cross-culturalism:

• Cooperation in the field of museums and heritage.
• India and France welcome the signing of the Letter of Intent for the National Museum of India project.
• Both nations have agreed on the export of their cinema productions, the facilitation of co-productions under their Audio-Visual Co-production Agreement, and the promotion of their country’s attractiveness for filming.
• Villa Swagatam, inaugurated on 3 March 2023, is a network of residencies to bring the best French talents to 16 existing residencies spread across India.
• India’s Lalit Kala Akademi (LKA) has been helping Indian Artists participate in festivals in France and will continue this support in the interest of generating wider interest in Indian artistic traditions among the people of France.
• Development of the Alliances Françaises network in India to encourage French language teaching programs in India.
• Letter of Intent on Cooperation in the field of Sports ahead of the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic games in Paris.
• India’s Consulate General in Marseille, and France’s “Bureau de France” in Hyderabad.

Additional Highlights of the Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lavished the French head of state and other top leaders with a range of gifts, showcasing Indian textiles, art, and craftsmanship.

• French President Emmanuel Macron received A sitar carved out of sandalwood. An intricately carved model of a traditional musical instrument illustrates the centuries-old art of sandalwood carving practiced in South India. The sculpture includes an image of Lord Ganesh and is decorated with peacocks, India’s national bird, and other intricate motifs.
• The president’s wife Brigitte Macron received the Pochampally saree, representative of the weaving heritage of the eponymous town in Telangana, renowned for its intricate designs and vibrant colours of space-dyed yarn.
• Élisabeth Borne, the French prime minister, received a Makrana marble table inlaid with semi-precious stones from a town in Rajasthan.
• Gerard Larcher, president of the French senate, received a hand-carved ambavari-style sandalwood elephant—a heritage craft from Jaipur.
• His counterpart in the French national assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet was presented with a hand-knotted silk carpet from Kashmir, their craftsmanship sought after worldwide.

Disclaimer: The article is based on the following sources of information: Media Center from the Ministry of External Affairs and the National Herald.

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