Bula Devi reports from New Delhi
New Delhi Feb 13:
With a strong base of 25 years of strategic partnership, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi’s visit to France, from February 10-12, raised the bar of
confidence between the two countries and further strengthened the
bilateral relationship touching new heights as the discussions covered a
wide range of “deep and diverse” strategic partnership.
The India-France strategic partnership has seen “consistent and all-round
progress” as per the three pillars of the Horizon 2047 roadmap which is
partnership for security and sovereignty, partnership for the planet, and
partnership for the people, said Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri qualifying
the relationship.
Following the CEOs Forum meeting, President Emmanuel Macron and
Prime Minister Modi traveled together to Marseille in the French
presidential aircraft. Terming it as an “exceptional gesture” by President
Macron, Foreign Secretary highlighted that it was “in fact, emblematic not
only of the deep personal trust between the two leaders, but also of the
remarkable confidence that they have in each other, and that really
characterises the relationship as well”.
The Prime Minister and the President held discussions on-board the
aircraft. “You could say that India-France relations touched new heights,
literally,” said Misri. These discussions on-board the aircraft on a number
of issues continued upon landing in Marseille, where the two leaders were
joined by their larger delegations. And the discussions took place over the
course of a dinner that was hosted by President Macron in honour of the
Prime Minister.
“These discussions covered the entire gamut of our deep and diverse
strategic partnership,” said Misri adding that the two leaders reviewed
progress in the areas of defense, space, civil nuclear cooperation, and in
the areas of health, as well as people-to-people cooperation between the
two sides.
The two leaders jointly visited the International Thermonuclear
Experimental Reactor (ITER) in Cadarache. It is believed that this was the
first visit by any Head of State or Head of Government to ITER – one of
the most ambitious fusion energy projects in the world today. Around 200
Indian scientists and associates, as well as industries such as L&T, Inox
India, TCS, TCE, HCL Technologies, among others, are reportedly
engaged in the project.
There were outcomes in four major areas in this visit of the Prime
Minister. Firstly, with the proposed hosting of the next AI summit by India
and the designation of 2026 as the India-France Year of Innovation, the
strategic partnership between the two countries is entering into a new era
focused on innovation, science and technology.
The two countries adopted a separate declaration on Artificial Intelligence
which identified key priorities that explores possibilities of cooperation
between India and France insofar as AI is concerned. For instance, the
shared commitment to promoting the development of safe, secure, and
trustworthy AI for the public good.
The two leaders at the CEOs Forum also launched the logo of the India-
France Year of Innovation in 2026. There were also outcomes in the areas
of digital sciences and startup collaboration.
Secondly, in the area of civil nuclear energy cooperation, the two sides
have concluded a declaration of intent on collaboration in co-designing,
co-developing, and co-producing Small Modular Reactors and Advanced
Modular Reactors. The two sides will also be cooperating in the field of
capacity building of researchers and professionals in this field.
Given the coming revolution in AI and the demands that it will make on
the energy vector, this particular area of cooperation and development of
SMRs and AMRs is a particularly promising vector for India-France
cooperation into the future, said the Foreign Secretary.
Thirdly, on cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, India and France concluded a
joint declaration of intent for triangular development cooperation. “Our
partnership in the Indo-Pacific looks at providing solutions to countries in
this region for their economic progress and their development in
furtherance of the India-France roadmap on the Indo-Pacific. And the idea
is for the two countries to identify and implement sustainable development
goals and climate-focused projects in priority sectors, including digital
innovation, digital public infrastructure, clean energy, green technologies,
preservation of biodiversity, women empowerment, education, health,
nutrition, water and sanitation,” Misri explained.
Fourthly, there were substantial outcomes in the fields of cultural and
people-to-people ties. The new Indian Consulate General in Marseille was
jointly inaugurated. Both leaders have also given directions for early
implementation of the agreement between the National Museum of India
and France Muséums Développement, under which France has been
identified as a knowledge partner in building India’s new national
museum, The Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum.
The two sides have also operationalised the young professional scheme,
which will help in promoting legal mobility of professionals, of skilled
workforce, and students in both directions.
