India and France design a future path that will last till 2047 using three pillars as its foundation.
The bilateral talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday resulted in a number of new projects and agreements between the two countries. The joint statement contains 63 results, according to Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
The joint statement, “25th Anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between France and India: Toward a Century of Indo-French Relations,” lays out the direction for bilateral ties between France and India in all spheres through 2047, the year that will mark 100 years of India’s independence, 100 years of diplomatic ties between our two nations, and 50 years of the Indo-French strategic partnership.
The partnership for security and sovereignty, the partnership for the earth, and the partnership for the people are the three pillars of the roadmap for bilateral relations.
Collaboration for security and sovereignty
Defense: Continued cooperation on fighter planes and submarines, following the successful completion of the P75 programme and the timely delivery of 36 Rafale jets to the IAF (six Scorpene submarines).
Space: Through a number of agreements, including those involving reusable launchers, the completion of the joint Earth observation satellite TRISHNA, the first phase of the constellation of maritime surveillance satellites in the Indian Ocean, and the protection of Indo-French satellites in orbit against the risk of collision, the scientific and commercial partnership between France’s CNES and India’s ISRO is being strengthened.
Civil nuclear power: All parties applauded the development of the Jaitapur 6-EPR power plant project. They made the decision to start a cooperative initiative for sophisticated and small modular reactors.
Indo-Pacific: The adoption of an action plan outlining all facets of our all-encompassing regional strategy for the Indo-Pacific. An Indo-French development fund for third countries is being finalised, allowing for collaborative financing of sustainable development initiatives around the Indo-Pacific.
In order to combat terrorism, France’s GIGN and India’s National Security Guard should work more closely together.
Cooperation on cutting-edge digital technology, notably in the areas of supercomputing, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing, needs to be strengthened. announcement of an agreement for the supply of supercomputers worth more than Rs 920 crore between Atos and the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences.
Civil aviation: The signing of technical and safety agreements to assist the development of flights between France and India.
Partnership for the environment and world concerns
Plastic pollution: France and India have pledged their support for the establishment of a global agreement to end plastic pollution throughout the whole plastic product life cycle.
Health: The signing of a letter of intent on health and medicine to set up collaboration in hospitals, medical research, digital and biotechnology, public health, and the fight against microbial resistance as part of the One Health concept.
Blue economy: As part of the roadmap on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance set by France and India in 2022, the French Research Institute for Ocean Exploitation (IFREMER) and India’s National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) have begun a partnership on ocean research.
Finance for the energy transition: The second phase of India’s flagship sustainable cities programme, “CITIIS 2.0,” will receive Rs 923 crore in funding from the French Development Agency, in collaboration with the European Union and KFW of Germany. Proparco has announced funding of Rs 246 crore for the South Asia Growth Fund (SAGF III), which will invest in businesses promoting energy efficiency, sustainable energy, and the optimum use of the region’s natural resources. Proparco and Satya Microcapital have announced a Rs 164 crore funding deal to provide microloans to rural Indian women.
Decarbonized hydrogen: According to the Indo-French plan for decarbonized hydrogen adopted in 2022, McPhy and L&T have announced a partnership to manufacture electrolyzers in India.
Partnership for individuals
The goal for student mobility is to accept 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030. Indian master’s degree holders who attended a French university are granted a 5-year short-stay Schengen visa. France has announced a substantial increase in the amount of resources available to the Campus France network in India. the development of foreign courses to aid the integration of Indian students who do not speak French into the French higher education system. IIT Delhi and IIT Madras sign two Memorandums of Understanding (MoU) with the Institut Polytechnique de Paris (IPP).
Network of diplomatic and consular relations: The inauguration of the French Bureau in Hyderabad and the Indian Consulate General in Marseille.
Culture: The announcement that France will cooperate with India to build a significant new National Museum in New Delhi. An agreement for the sharing of audio-visual content and the co-production of shows on topics including culture, education, science, and sports has been announced by France Médias Monde and Prasar Bharati.
Research: In order to support new initiatives jointly, France and India would enhance funds for the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR/CEFIPRA).
Sports: A letter of intent is signed to set up collaboration in this area, especially in light of forthcoming significant athletic events.
Civic society: By 2025, we want to double the number of foreign volunteers doing humanitarian work and community service in France and India.
