Strategic partnership between France and India
What are the main areas where the two countries collaborate?
- Defence: From 2017 to 2021, France ranked as the second-largest provider for defence.
- Economic Cooperation: With yearly trade of USD 12.42 (twelve point four two) billion in 2021–2022, France has become one of India’s most important commercial partners.
- Civil Nuclear Cooperation: India inked a civil nuclear agreement with France among the first nations.
- Collaboration at the International Forum: France backs India’s application to join the Nuclear Suppliers Group and become a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
- Climate Cooperation: India has demonstrated its great commitment to reducing the effects of climate change by supporting France in the Paris Agreement.
- In 2015, both nations established the International Solar Alliance as a part of their cooperative efforts to combat climate change.
- A plan for fortifying ties is provided in Maritime Ties: Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region.
India and France have been enhancing their cooperation in the sphere of space exploration:
- Joint Working Group ISRO-CNES
- Combined Mars Mission
- Working Together on Space Debris
- The Joint Earth Observation Mission
Strategic convergence’s genesis:
- When India formed its first Strategic Partnership on Republic Day in 1998, the French President was the special visitor.
- France said that the reason India was left out of the international nuclear order was unusual and needed to be fixed.
- India conducted several nuclear tests in 1998 and proclaimed itself to be a state possessing nuclear weapons.
- France was the pioneer nation to initiate communication with India.
- The first nation among the P-5 to endorse India’s demand for a permanent seat in a reorganised and expanded UN Security Council was France.
- The French were proponents of multipolarity, which naturally aligned with India’s aspirations for strategic independence.
- India and France both take great pride in their “argumentative intellectualism” and have a common quality of “civilization exceptionalism.”
Nuclear Weapons Conversation:
- It was founded in 1998.
- It developed into a more comprehensive strategic conversation and was given the status of National Security Advisor.
- The agenda progressively grew to cover counterterrorism, intelligence sharing, and cyber-security issues in addition to nuclear, space, and defence.
Convergence has developed on international issues such:
- Climate Variability
- restructuring of international development organisations
- artificial intelligence that benefits the world
- ongoing hostilities in Gaza and the Ukraine.
Protection:
- Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited has transferred technology from the Naval Group to build six Scorpene submarines.
- Memorandums of understanding on technology cooperation were completed, and radar equipment and short-range missile purchases were made.
- The navy, air forces, and soldiers began conducting joint drills in 2001, 2004 and 2011, respectively.
- the 36 Rafale aircraft purchase agreement, which was rescued from the protracted talks over the original 126 aircraft.
- India’s new aircraft carrier will receive 26 Rafale M aircraft.
- The Defence Industrial Road map between France and India aligns with the objective of Aam Aum Nirbharta.
- Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems Ltd. reached an agreement to establish a final assembly line for H125 civilian helicopters by 2026.
- In Vadodara, the last assembly line for the C-295 military transport aircraft has already been installed.
- The Gas Turbine Research Establishment, the Defence Research and Development Organisation, and Safran are working together more closely to design and develop
- manufacturing an engine with a 100% technology transfer for India’s fifth generation of aircraft, or Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft.
Collaboration within the space sector:
- French aid was used to establish the Indian launch site at Sriharikota in the 1960s.
- The French Space Agency (CNES) and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) are currently working on collaborative missions thanks to the strategic conversation that helped reignite this collaboration.
- Arianespace, a French satellite launch company, and NewSpace India Limited, the commercial arm of ISRO, signed a Memorandum of Understanding to cooperate on space launches.
The Way Ahead:
- Moving the collaboration outside of government domains and into the economic and civilian spheres has been a challenge for both nations.
- There are now cooperative working groups covering a wide range of topics, including urban development, transit, culture, tourism, IT and telecom, agriculture, and civil aviation.
- the rising number of Indian students pursuing higher education in France.
- A five-year Schengen visa is being offered to Indians who study in France for graduate studies in order to address the visa issue.
- It will be beneficial when the Young Professionals Scheme is made effective under the Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreement.
- Regulations governing foreign institutions opening campuses in India have been updated by the University Grants Commission.
- Globally famous Sorbonne University was founded in the thirteenth century and has had a campus in the United Arab Emirates since 2006.
- One of the top priorities should be to establish a campus in India.
- Convergence on all issues is not necessary for a strategic partnership; rather, sensitivity is needed to ensure that disagreements, when they occur, are discussed privately rather than in public.
