Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Paris concluded with the issuance of an ambitious roadmap for taking forward India-France relations over the next quarter century by building on the 25-year-old strategic partnership between the two sides. There could be a temptation to compare the outcomes of Mr Modi’s trip to France with those of his recent US State visit — given that they comprised a mix of defence and security arrangements, collaboration in hi-tech areas such as space, and broader strategic issues. However, the difference is that France has been a key supplier of defence hardware, especially combat jets, to India since the 1950s whereas India’s turn towards the US for advanced military platforms is a relatively new phenomenon.
The roadmap, titled ‘Horizon 2047’, also has a very strong focus on the Indo-Pacific, where France, unlike other western nations, is a resident power, thanks to its extensive island territories. The roadmap is based on strengthening the partnership under three pillars — security and sovereignty, the planet, and the people. The security pillar focuses on jointly building sovereign defence capabilities, including future projects for combat jets and submarines — a reference to India’s plans to acquire 26 Rafale M aircraft and three Scorpene submarines — as well as plans to co-develop new helicopter and jet engines.
France is the first country with which India adopted a joint roadmap for the Indo-Pacific to protect economic and security interests, advance the rule of international law, and work with others to establish a balanced and stable order. This could set the template for future coordinated action in the Indo-Pacific. France has been one of India’s closest partners in both counter-terrorism and civil nuclear technology, and the roadmap envisages more collaboration in both fields, including the development of small and modular nuclear reactors. The roadmap has a total of 63 outcomes, including new areas such as Artificial Intelligence and emerging cyber threats. The symbolism of Mr Modi’s presence at the Bastille Day Parade and the targets set by the roadmap shows that Paris is determined to retain its role as a leading strategic partner for New Delhi. For some time now, France has been India’s closest friend on the continent, and the expansion of ties engendered by this visit should count as no less significant than the strides made in Washington.
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