French President Emmanuel Macron, in the preface of his best-selling memoir Revolution wrote, “I discovered India in the powerful epic Mahabharata; one lifetime is not enough to explore all the treasures and nuances of this poem-universe. I discovered India in the path of Dharma, which makes us responsible — each one of us in our respective fields and in solidarity with everyone — for the order of the world, in the principle of nonviolence, in the quest for dignity and peace”. Prime Minister Modi during this visit to France shared his memory of being the first member of the Alliance Francaise in Ahmedabad, back in 1981. The mutual appreciation and understanding of each other’s nations and cultures from early years should have played a significant role in fostering the warm bond between the two leaders, a catalyst in advancing the already robust relationships between the two countries.
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Historic ties
India and France have been historically connected over centuries. On 14 July 1789, the storming of the Bastille led to the events that established the French Republic. Concurrently in India, storm clouds gathered as forces of Carnatic and British were gearing up for the Third Anglo-Mysore War. The Carnatic had the support of the French East India Company. Carnatic lost the war, which led to the consolidation of the British colonisation in India. Around 1.3 million Indians volunteered to fight during World War 1, of which nearly 70,000 lost their lives, including around 9,000 soldiers in France and Belgium. Troops of the Punjab regiment took part in both the world wars. The allied forces during World War II had the support of over 2 million Indian soldiers. The participation of the Punjab regiment in this year’s Bastille Day parade was a heartfelt tribute to those courageous warriors. PM Modi has been making significant efforts during his foreign visits to highlight, and remind the widely forgotten Indian sacrifices and contribution towards global and European security.
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The partnership spectrum and mutual benefits
Ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1947, the two nations share a wide spectrum of partnerships in areas as diverse as education, health, defence, space, and peaceful use of nuclear energy, and are expected to expand to other emerging and critical areas, including artificial intelligence, supercomputing, and cyber security. Our ties in defence root back to the 1950s when we purchased the Dassault Ouragan and Mystere IV aircraft. Currently, France is our second largest defence equipment supplier after Russia.
The collaborations are fast expanding with our defence ministry giving approval for the purchase of 26 new Rafael marine aircraft and three additional scorpene submarines. A large portion of these products would be manufactured in India. French engine manufacturer Safran would also be co-developing a jet engine with DRDO, for our Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) programme, with 100 per cent transfer of technology (ToT). These initiatives would bolster our ‘Atmanirbhar’ and indigenisation drive in this vital sector. The two nations also have a joint strategic vision of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
France has been a continuous supporter of counter-terrorism initiatives at the international arena. It backs our stance on cross-border terrorism and supports the UN resolution to designate Hafiz Saeed as an international terrorist. Post our nuclear tests in 1974, the United States stopped supplying enriched Uranium to the US-built Tarapur nuclear plant. France then stepped up as our nuclear fuel supplier. France, breaking away from their allies in Europe, the US, and Japan, had also refused to impose sanctions on India post our 1998 nuclear tests. They had also backed our entry into control regimes such as MTCR, Australia group, and Weissenar arrangement.
It is a founding member alongside India of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) established in 2015. India joined the France-led initiative, ‘High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People’ in 2021. At the One Ocean Summit in 2022, Prime Minister Modi announced India’s support for the French initiative of Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ). The mission LIFE launched by Prime Minister Modi in the presence of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres received unwavering support from President Emmanuel Macron.
Both nations have been strongly supporting the inclusion of the African Union into the G20 as a permanent member. The Indo-French Development Fund announced during this visit would be utilised for the developmental collaborations in the global south, especially of African nations. This could counter China’s coercive debt-trap diplomacy in these geographies.
France would also become the first European country, and the eleventh nation worldwide to use India’s payment platform UPI. Besides assisting the Indian students, tourists, and the diaspora of the region, this is also a massive boost in our efforts to take our digital public goods built over the ‘India Stack’ architecture to global markets.
Narendra Modi becoming the first Indian Prime Minister to be conferred France’s highest distinction ‘The Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor’ during this visit could be seen as a sign of appreciation for his efforts in deepening the bonds between the two countries, and the confidence France places in our shared vision, mutual aspirations, and our beliefs of common destiny. The two democracies share similar worldviews of maintaining strategic autonomies, and aspire to play leading roles in shaping an emerging multipolar world. A strong Indo-French partnership would be a cornerstone for maintaining peace, stability, prosperity and order in that landscape.
Anil K. Antony @anilkantony is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party, and a graduate of Stanford University. Adarsh Kuniyillam @AUTHORADARASH is a Parliament and policy analyst. Views are personal.
(Edited by Anurag Chaubey)