Emmanuel Macron is Republic Day chief guest: The bright arc of India-France ties
Context- In 1998, French President Jacques Chirac proposed a “partnership for the 21st century” with India, marking his second visit as the Republic Day Chief Guest. His first visit was in 1976 as France’s Prime Minister, during India’s Emergency period. Despite facing criticism from western democracies, France did not condemn India’s nuclear tests in May 1998. In December 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron accepted India’s invitation to be the Republic Day Chief Guest, despite being the second choice after US President Joe Biden. This will be the sixth time a French leader has held this honor.
25th anniversary of strategic partnership
- The partnership, the first India signed with any western country, has made significant progress in bilateral, regional, and international contexts. It is based on shared strategic autonomy, sovereignty, a quest for a multi-polar world, and democratic values.
- The main pillars of this partnership are defense, security, civil nuclear matters, and space, with a recent addition of an Indo-Pacific component. A comprehensive roadmap was adopted during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France in July last year, focusing on three pillars: Security and Sovereignty, the Planet, and People.
The major pillars of cooperation between India and France include:
- Defence: They have a robust defence partnership, with cooperation reviewed under the Annual Defence Dialogue and High Committee on Defence Cooperation. The procurement of Rafale jets and joint defence exercises underscore these deep ties.
- Space: ISRO and the French Space Agency, CNES, have cooperated for over 50 years, with France being a major supplier for the Indian space programme.
- Civil Nuclear Cooperation: Progress has been made on the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP), and a partnership on Small Modular Reactors (SMR) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMR) has been agreed upon.
- Economic: France is a significant investor in India, with a cumulative FDI stock of $10.76 billion from April 2000 to September 2023. Indian exports to France totalled $3.06 billion and imports totalled $2.36 billion for FY 2023-24 (till August 2023).
- Digital: The Unified Payments Interface (UPI) was launched from the Eiffel Tower in July 2023. C-DAC and M/S Atos have developed 14 supercomputers for India, including the fastest supercomputer Param Siddhi at 4.6 petaflops/second.
- Education: There are about 10,000 Indian students in France. An agreement on mutual recognition of degrees was signed in 2018. The Indo French Campus for Health was launched in June 2022 to offer double degrees. A scheme allowing Indian students to stay in France for up to two years after their Masters to look for jobs was renewed in October 2022. It was agreed in July 2023 to increase the number of Indian students in France to 30,000 by 2030. France announced a five-year Schengen visa for Indian alumni who completed at least one semester of their Master’s degree in France.
- Community in France: Mainland France has an estimated 1,19,000 Indian community members, largely from erstwhile French colonies and the states of Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, and Punjab.
- Tourism: About 2.5 lakh French travelled to India in 2019 while about 7 lakh Indians went to France. Rajasthan is the leading destination for French tourists in India.
- Support on international fora: France supports India’s claim for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council and its bid for accession to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). France was vital in India’s accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), and Australia Group (AG). Both countries are working together for the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in the UN.
Current visit
- The current visit will allow Modi and Macron to discuss issues of mutual interest such as the Russia-Ukraine war, Israel-Hamas war, China’s assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific, and defence and security cooperation.
- Macron, on his third visit to India, will have the chance to further elevate the political and economic cooperation between the two countries.
Conclusion- The enduring relationship between India and France is marked by mutual respect, strategic cooperation, and shared interests across various sectors including defence, space, civil nuclear cooperation, economy, and education. The pragmatic approach of both nations has fostered a partnership that has withstood the test of time and geopolitical shifts.
The recent visit of French President Emmanuel Macron further underscores the commitment of both nations to strengthen their ties and work together on global issues. As they continue to navigate the complexities of the 21st century, the India-France partnership serves as a beacon of diplomatic foresight and pragmatism.
