PM Modi on France visit from Monday; will co-chair AI Action Summit with French President, address India-France CEOs forum

PM Modi will attend a dinner hosted by President Macron at the Elysee Palace in honour of visiting heads of government and heads of State on February 10, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced in a special press briefing on February 7.

After the AI summit on February 11, there will be a bilateral component to the visit and PM Modi and President Macron will address the India-France CEOs forum.

PM Modi and President Macron will hold discussions in both the restricted and delegation level talks format. On February 12, the two leaders will visit the war cemetery and will pay tribute to the sacrifices made by Indian Soldiers in World War 1.

The two leaders will jointly inaugurate the Consulate General of India in Marseille and will pay a visit to Kadash which is the site of the international thermal nuclear experimental reactor. After wrapping up France visit, PM Modi will travel to the US.

India and France have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations and share deep and enduring Strategic Partnership (SP) covering all aspects of bilateral cooperation which involves a strategic component. Launched on 26 January 1998, India's first-ever Strategic Partnership, embodied the core vision of both the countries to enhance their respective strategic independence by drawing upon a strong and enhanced bilateral cooperation.

Defence and security, civil nuclear matters and space constitute the principal pillars of India-France strategic cooperation and it now includes a strong Indo-Pacific component. In the recent years the partnership has broadened to include maritime security, digitalisation, cyber security and advanced computing, counter terrorism, climate change, renewable and sustainable growth and development among others.

The core of the India-France long-standing partnership is underpinned by shared democratic values, belief in multilateralism as a means to tackle global challenges, respect for international law, strong economic, cultural, academic, and people-to-people ties.

India and France marked 25 years of Strategic Partnership in 2023, when PM Modi paid an official visit from 13-14 July as the Guest of Honour at the French National Day. During the visit, India and France adopted a roadmap 'Horizon 2047', setting the course for the next 25 years, which will in-turn mark centenaries of India's independence and diplomatic relations between both countries, and centenary of India's independence.

In 2024, French President Emmanuel Macron paid a State Visit to India as the Chief Guest for the 75th Republic Day of India. This was President Macron's second State Visit to India and the sixth visit by a French Leader as Guest of Honour for the Republic Day.

The two leaders have used the opportunities of multilateral summits to meet regularly and reviewed the progress of bilateral relations, in particular, the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, agreed between the two sides in July 2023.

Earlier on November 18 last year, PM Modi and Macron met on the sidelines of G20 Summit in Brazil. On 14 June 2024, PM Modi held a bilateral meeting with President Macron on the sidelines of G7 Summit in Italy. On June 6, French President Macron made a phone call to PM Modi after the latter's re-election as Prime Minister of India.

There have been a series of high-level exchanges between the two sides, with discussions centering around bilateral issues and mutual global concerns, reflecting the increasing strategic convergence between the two countries.

On 30 September 2024, NSA co-chaired the 37th India-France Strategic Dialogue with Diplomatic Advisor Bonne in Paris. During the visit, NSA also met French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot, Minister of Armed Forces Sebastien Lecornu and called on President Macron.

On 26 January 2024, EAM met with France's then-Foreign Minister Stephane Sejourne. Jaishankar met with the new French Foreign Minister Jean Noel Barrot on 24 September 2024 on the sidelines of UN General Assembly in New York and on the sidelines of Rome Mediterranean Dialogue 2024 on November 25 last year.

In October 2023, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited Paris for the 5th meeting of the Annual Defence Dialogue with his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu. He also visited the Safran Engine Division's R&D Centre at Gennevilliers near Paris and met with the CEOs of top French defence companies. He also interacted with the Indian community in Paris.

Nirmala Sitharaman met French Minister of Economy, Finance and Industry Mr. Antoine Armand on the sidelines of the World Bank and IMF annual meeting 2024, in Washington DC in October last year. Union Minister of State, Commerce and Industry Mr. Jitin Prasada met with French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade Sophie Primas on the sidelines of G20 Trade and Industrial Ministers' Meeting in Brazil in October last year. Sophie Primas, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad, visited India from 27-29 November 2024.

India and France share strong and robust defence partnership with an increasing 'Atmanirbharata' element in it. The defence cooperation between the two sides is reviewed under Annual Defence Dialogue (Defence Minister level) and High Committee on Defence Cooperation (Secretary level).

The 5th Annual Ministerial-level Annual Defence Dialogue was held on 11 October 2023 in Paris. The HCDC meeting was held in Paris in November 2021. Major ongoing defence-related projects include the purchase of Rafale aircrafts and the P-75 Scorpene Project. Other potential new areas of collaboration being pursued are co-development of next generation engines for fighter planes. An office of DRDO has also been opened in the Embassy in 2023 for strengthening the technology cooperation between India and France.

India France joint defence exercises have grown in scope and complexity over the years. The 20th edition of Army to Army Staff Talks was held between India and France at Delhi from 07-08 November 2024. The 17th round of Navy to Navy Staff Talks was held at New Delhi from 06-07 February 2024. Bilateral Army Exercise - SHAKTI 2024 was conducted from 13 to 26 May 2024 at Umroi, Meghalaya, in India.

This year the IAF expanded the scope by inviting multiple nations in the form of a new exercise Tarang Shakti. French Air and Space Force (FASF) participated in this multilateral Exerce Tarang Shakti Phase -I held at Air Force Station Sulur and Air Force Station Thanjavur in August. Sea Phase of naval exercise Varuna was conducted in France in September. French Aircraft Atlantique 2 participated in the multilateral exercise MILAN 2024, off the coast of Vishakapatnam.

A letter of Intent (LoI) on deepening the Defense Space partnership was signed on 26 January 3024 between India and France, which is a testimony to the increasing strategic co-operation in the field of Space along with Defence. There were several port calls during the year. INS Tabar made Port Call at Toulon from August 29 to September 2. The port call also included the harbour phase of Exercise Varuna 2024. INS Talwar made OTR at La Reunion from 27 to 29 October 2024.

India and France have a robust ongoing cooperation with third countries, including trilateral institutional exchanges with Australia and UAE, respectively. The 3rd India-France-Australia Trilateral Focal Points Meeting took place in June last year and the 2nd India-France-UAE Trilateral Focal Points Meeting took place on July 9, 2024. The two nations have regularly met at the level of Foreign Secretary to review the bilateral relations. The last Foreign Office Consultations between India and France was held in Paris last year.

India and France have a rich history of cooperation in the field of space for over sixty years between ISRO and the French Space Agency, 'Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales' (CNES). France remains a major supplier of components and equipment for the Indian space programme. Ongoing cooperation activities include joint satellite mission TRISHNA, maritime domain awareness system, payload accommodation, ground station support, human spaceflight and professional exchange. ISRO has been using the launch services of Arianespace for launching its heavier communication satellites on commercial basis.

India and France have Cyber Dialogue mechanism to discuss cyber cooperation and related matters. 4th Cyber Dialogue led by MEA on Indian side and Ministry of Foreign Affairs on French side was held in 2021 and dates for the next are being planned in the year 2025. A dialogue on cyber security matters was held in Paris in January last year.

The two nations have robust cooperation on topics relating to countering terrorism in all its forms and manifestation, including under the UN forums. The 16th Meeting of the Joint Working Group on Counter terrorism was held in Paris in January 2024.

India and France have cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, notably in relation with the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant Project. The first meeting of special task force on nuclear energy in the framework of the Indo-French Strategic Dialogue, was convened on 20 January 2025. Economic Cooperation

Within the European Union, France remains India's fifth-largest trading partner, following the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, and Germany. Discussions during various high-level visits in 2024 focused on trade, technological advancements, energy security, and cultural exchanges, reflecting a commitment to deepening ties for mutual economic growth and global leadership.

France considers India an important market for its products and is looking to increase the number of joint ventures and encouraging investments in and from India. Both countries are also moving to jointly develop technologies and integrate existing technologies.

India and France prioritized five key areas for economic diplomacy in 2024 which are: Advancing digital technology and innovation b) Clean Energy Collaboration c) Research and Development, Smart Manufacturing, and Critical Technologies, including defence d) Enhancing India's exports to France e)

Global Supply Chain Relocation Initiatives

For the year 2024-25, from April 2024 to October 2024, India's exports to France amounted to USD 4.69 billion. The bilateral trade between India and France has more than doubled in the last decade to USD 15.11 Billion in 2023-24 from USD 6.4 Billion in 2009-10. France is the 11th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of USD 10.94 billion (INR 68,980.73 Crore) from April 2000 to March 2024 which represents 1.61 per cent of the total FDI inflows into India according to data provided by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).

During PM's visit to Paris in July 2023, NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and France's Lyra Collect executed an agreement to implement Unified Payment Interface (UPI) in France and Europe. The payment mechanism went live at the Eiffel Tower during President Macron's visit to India on 26 January 2024, as the first merchant in France to accept UPI. Subsequently, UPI payments were launched at Galleries Lafayette on July 3, 2024.

With a shared belief in the power of a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) approach for the development of open, free, democratic and inclusive digital economies and digital societies, India and France have advanced multi-stakeholder exchanges through the InFrastructures (India France Structures) and InFinity (India France Innovation in Information Technology) platforms. Additionally, a half day session on DPI for 45 French Civil Servants was organized in 2024.

As part of the joint DPI cooperation efforts, the two nations have mutually identified potential high-impact initiatives in the areas of mobility, commerce and culture, as initial focus areas to showcase the significant benefits of interconnectedness between platforms accomplished by leveraging open protocols.

An 'India Pavillion' was set up at the International and French Travel Market (IFTM) Top Resa tourism fair held from 17-19 September 2024 in Paris. There were state pavilions from Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh tourism boards. The Embassy organised cultural events and programs, throughout the year with local and India-based artists, in Paris and important cities around in France.

As a follow up on the decisions taken during first bilateral held in October 2023 in Paris, India-France follow up dialogue on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance was held on 21st February 2024 in NITI Aayog, New Delhi. The Indian delegation was led by Shri B.V.R Subhramanyam, CEO, NITI Aayog and the French delegation was led by Mr. Olivier Poivre d'Arvor, Ambassador for Poles and Maritime Issues. During the follow up discussions both sides reviewed and identified the status of the collaboration areas.

The fourth meeting of Indo-French Joint Working Group on Environment was held on 10 July 2024. The two sides agreed to work under the Blue Economy Dialogue in the areas of coastal ecosystem and services, marine and coastal planning and in coastal ecology and environment.

The 2nd Joint Science & Technology Committee was held on January 18 last year. A delegation led by Secretary, Department of Science and Technology held various bilateral meetings with the French institutions working in science and technology and also Co-chaired the 37th meeting of the Governing Body of CEFIPRA (Indo-French Center for Promotion of Advanced Research ) in Paris in April last year. During the meeting, both sides raised the funding by euro 0.45 million each taking total to euro 4 million per year funding to the bilateral center.

There is a large presence of Indian diaspora in French mainland and its overseas territories. There are an estimated 1,19,000 Indian community in mainland France. The estimated Indian origin population in French Overseas Territories is-Reunion Island (3,00,159), Guadeloupe (57,180), Martinique (8,090) and Saint Martin (1950). There are over 50 Indian community organisations active in France. (ANI)