25th Anniversary of the India France Strategic Partnership

• 19 Jul 2023

For Prelims: Rafale jets, P75 program, Earth observation satellite, Supercomputing, Blue Economy, Exercise Shakti, Exercise Varuna, Exercise Garuda, United Nations Security Council, International Solar Alliance, Paris Agreement.

For Mains: Major Areas of Cooperation between India and France

Source: IE

Why in News?

The Indian Prime Minister joined French President as the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade, where an Indian tri-services marching contingent participated. Rafale jets from the Indian Air Force were also part of the flypast.

• Also, joint statement titled "25^th Anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between France and India: towards a Century of Indo-French Relations" sets the course for bilateral relations until 2047, marking significant milestones for both nations.
• The roadmap for the relationship is built upon three pillars: partnership for security and sovereignty, partnership for the planet, and partnership for the people.

What are the Major Highlights of the Visit?

• Pillar 1: Partnership for Security and Sovereignty:
  • Defence: Continuation of cooperation on fighter jets and submarines, following the timely delivery of the 36 Rafale jets for the IAF and the success of the P75 program (six Scorpene submarines).
  • Space: Enhancement of scientific and commercial partnership through agreements between France's CNES and India's ISRO.
    • This includes the joint Earth observation satellite TRISHNA, maritime surveillance satellites in the Indian Ocean, and the protection of Indo-French satellites in orbit.
  • Civil Nuclear Energy: Progress on the 6- European Pressurized Reactors power plant project in Jaitapur, Maharashtra and the launch of a cooperation program on small modular reactors and advanced modular reactors.
  • Indo-Pacific: Adoption of a roadmap for joint actions in the Indo-Pacific, covering all aspects of the comprehensive strategy for the region.
    • Discussion on finalizing an Indo-French development fund for third countries, enabling joint financing of sustainable development projects in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • Counter-Terrorism: Strengthening cooperation between France's GIGN and India's National Security Guard.
  • Critical Technology: Strengthening cooperation on cutting-edge digital technology, including supercomputing, cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.
    • Announcement of an agreement between Atos and the Ministry of Earth Sciences of India for the supply of supercomputers.
  • Civil Aviation: Signing of technical and safety agreements in the field of civil aviation to support the expansion of routes between France and India and the growth of the Indian civil aviation market.
• Pillar 2: Partnership for the Planet and Global Issues:
  • Plastic Pollution: Commitment by France and India to adopt an international treaty to put an end to plastic pollution throughout the entire life cycle of plastic products.
  • Health: Signing of a Letter of Intent on health and medicine to structure cooperation in hospitals, medical research, digital technology, biotechnology, public health, and combating micro-bacterial resistance.
  • Blue Economy: Launch of a partnership between France's IFREMER and India's National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) on ocean research under the Blue Economy and Ocean Governance roadmap.
  • Financing the Energy Transition: Announcement of financing from the French Development Agency for India's sustainable cities program "CITIIS 2.0" and financing from Proparco for the South Asia Growth Fund (SAGF III).
  • Decarbonized Hydrogen: Manufacturing electrolyzers in India, in line with the Indo-French roadmap for decarbonized hydrogen.
• Pillar 3: Partnership for People:
  • Student Mobility: Target of welcoming 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030.
    • Issuance of 5-year short-stay Schengen visas for Indian students with a Master's degree from a French university.
  • Diplomatic and Consular Network: Opening of a Consulate General of India in Marseille, France and a Bureau de France in Hyderabad, India.
  • Culture: France's selection as India's partner for establishing a major new National Museum in New Delhi.
    • Agreement between France Médias Monde and Prasar Bharati for the exchange of audio-visual content and co-production of programs.
  • Research: Increase in funding for the Indo-French Centre for the Promotion of Advanced Research to support new projects.
• Other Highlights:
  • France gifted India a framed facsimile of a 1916 photograph depicting a Parisian presenting flowers to a Sikh officer.
  • France also presented a replica of the Charlemagne chessmen and a series of novels by Marcel Proust.
  • Indian Prime Minister was honored with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, France's highest civilian and military honor, during his visit.
  • Also, the final joint statement, did not have any reference to the pact on buying three Scorpene submarines and joint development of a combat aircraft engine.

What are the Major Areas of Cooperation between India and France?

• Background:
  • France was one of the first countries with which India signed a “strategic partnership” after the end of the Cold War, in January 1998.
  • France was also one of the very few countries to support India’s decision to test nuclear weapons in 1998.
• Defence Cooperation: France has emerged as a key defence partner for India, becoming the second largest defence supplier in 2017- 2021.
  • Joint Exercises: Exercise Shakti (Army), Exercise Varuna (Navy), Exercise Garuda (Air Force)
• Economic Cooperation: Bilateral trade between two countries reached a new peak at USD 13.4 billion in 2022-23, with exports from India crossing USD 7 billion.
  • France is the 11th largest foreign investor in India, with a cumulative investment of USD 10.49 billion from April 2000 to December 2022.
• Cooperation at International Forum: France supports India’s bid for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council as well as its entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
• Climate Cooperation: Both countries are concerned about climate change, where India has supported France in the Paris Agreement expressing its strong commitment to mitigating the effects of climate change.
  • Both countries, as part of their joint efforts on climate change, launched the International Solar Alliance in 2015.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Questions (PYQs)

Prelims

Q. Consider the following statements: (2016)

1. The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015.
2. The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Ans: (a)