New Delhi: India and France Monday elevated its ties to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership” announced, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting that the relationship is a “force for global stability” in today’s uncertain world. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that whether its artificial intelligence or defence technology, France is ready to make in India.
The French President is in India for a three-day visit beginning with Mumbai before co-chairing the Impact AI summit with Modi in the national capital Thursday. Macron’s visit is his fourth, underlining the deep cooperation the two leaders have pursued since he assumed the French Presidency in 2017.
“India and France share a very special relationship. France is one of India’s oldest strategic partners. And together with President Macron, we have given this strategic partnership unprecedented depth and energy. On the basis of this same trust and shared vision, today we are establishing our relationship as a special global strategic partnership”, Modi said while issuing a joint press statement with Macron in Mumbai.
The French President added that whether it is the sale of Rafale fighter aircraft, submarines or helicopters—for which Tata inaugurated a new assembly line Tuesday—or India’s aim to build a fifth generation fighter aircraft, Paris is ready to “make in India. We are willing to transfer the technology”.
“Each year, by working on different things, we have charted new paths. Whether it’s [in] the Indo-Pacific region or technology, where there’s no hegemony, we firmly believe in the rule of law, and we’ve demonstrated this over the past few years. Whether it’s IMEC, which we jointly launched and or whether we’re talking about artificial intelligence or the International Solar Alliance, we’ve taken several initiatives together over the past eight years,” said Macron.
India and France Tuesday announced a number of new bilateral agreements and mechanisms including an annual foreign ministers’ dialogue, a memorandum of understanding between BEL and Safran to produce the HAMMER missiles in India, renewed the agreement on defence cooperation, constituted a joint advanced technology group, announced the intent to cooperate in critical minerals and metals, and agreed to a double taxation avoidance agreement.
Some of the other agreements announced included sectors such as the startup ecosystem, scientific collaboration, and three new joint centres in digital sciences and technologies, AI for health and a national centre of excellence for training in aeronautics.
France was India’s first strategic partner in Europe, with the agreement launched in 1998. Paris has been a steadfast partner of India and one of the few to continue trading with New Delhi after the Pokhran nuclear tests in 1998.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh co-chaired the annual defence dialogue with France in Bengaluru Tuesday, as India cleared the procurement for 114 Rafale fighter aircraft earlier last week.
Modi and Macron also virtually inaugurated the Airbus H125 helicopter assembly line in India Tuesday. Modi declared that he is “proud that India and France will jointly build the world’s only helicopter to fly to the heights of Mount Everest, in India. And it will also export to the whole world.”
“Today the world is going through a period of uncertainty. In such an environment, the India-France partnership is a force for global stability. We are adding France’s expertise and India’s scale. We are developing trusted technologies. We will ensure human development through the International Solar Alliance, India Middle East Europe Economic Corridor i.e. IMEC, and joint development projects. And multilateralism, dialogue and diplomacy, will continue to strengthen efforts for stability and prosperity,” said Modi.
France’s Safran is set to jointly design with India, the engines for India’s Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA), a deal announced last year. The engine contract is one part of the burgeoning defence cooperation between India and France. It is a part of the larger Horizon 2047 roadmap announced by Modi and Macron in 2023.
The French President invited Modi to attend the G7 summit hosted in the European nation later this year. France was the first country to invite Modi to attend the G7 summit in 2019 and has since become the norm for the Indian Prime Minister to be a part of the summit annually since.
The two leaders have almost annually visited their respective nations. In 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the chief guest at France’s Bastille Day celebration. Macron travelled to India later that year for the G20 summit.
In 2024, the French President was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day celebrations. Last year, Modi travelled to France to co-chair the Impact AI summit, as well as launch a new consulate in Marseille. This year Macron is in India for a three-day visit.
The two leaders also discussed global issues including the Russia – Ukraine war, specifically recent attacks on civilian infrastructure by Moscow, the situation in West Asia and other regional issues.
(Edited by Shashank Kishan)
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