4th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue 2022

Table of Contents

India-France Defence Dialogue 2022 UPSC Relevance

India-France Relations 2022: India-France Defence Dialogue 2022 is an annual exercise that is important dynamics of India-France Relationship. India-France Defence Dialogue 2022 is also important for the UPSC Prelims 2023 and UPSC Mains Exam (International Relations).

India-France Defence Dialogue 2022 in News

Recently, Raksha Mantri Shri Rajnath Singh held the 4th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue with Minister of Armed Forces of the French Republic Mr Sebastien Lecornu in New Delhi.
A wide range of bilateral, regional, defence and defence industrial cooperation issues were discussed in the India-France Defence Dialogue 2022.
France is one of India’s most trusted strategic partners and both countries look forward to celebrating 25 years of their strategic partnership in 2023.

India-Africa Defence Cooperation

Key Outcomes of India-France Defence Dialogue 2022

The Indian and French Ministers reviewed the ongoing military-to-military cooperation which has increased substantially in the recent years.
They discussed means to strengthen maritime cooperation and increase the scope and complexity of bilateral exercises.
They noted with satisfaction that India and France recently held their bilateral Air Exercise ‘Garuda’ at Air Force Station, Jodhpur successfully.
During the dialogue, one of the key areas of discussion was defence industrial cooperation with a focus on ‘Make in India’.
- Future collaborations and potential co-production opportunities were discussed.
The Ministers agreed that the technical groups from both the countries should meet early next year and take the key cooperation issues forward.
The Ministers recognised their convergences on number of strategic & defence issues and shared the commitment to work together on enhancing cooperation in bilateral, regional and multilateral fora, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
- France is the current chair of Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS) and both countries cooperate closely in these fora.

Key Dimensions of India-France Relations

Defence and Security Cooperation

The areas of defence and security cooperation, space cooperation and civil nuclear cooperation constitute the principal pillars of the strategic partnership of both countries.
Over the years India’s defence cooperation with France has increased with the latter becoming India’s 2nd largest arms supplier (after Russia).
India and France are increasingly engaged in new areas of cooperation such as maritime security in the Indo Pacific region, counter terrorism, climate change, renewable energy and sustainable growth and development among others.
Both share a close degree of convergence on a range of regional and global issues also.
Recently held 20th edition of ‘Varuna’ – a five-day naval wargame exercise between the two countries in the Arabian Sea is a reflection of growing congruence in their maritime security cooperation.

UNSC Membership Issue

France has continued to support India’s claim for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council and the reforms of the United Nations.
France’s support was vital in India’s accession to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) and Australia Group (AG).
France continues to support India’s bid for accession to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
India and France have consistently condemned terrorism and have resolved to work together for the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in the UN.

French Businesses in India

The two countries have a burgeoning economic relationship with French businesses and industry contributing significantly to India’s Atmanirbhar Bharat campaign.
There are over a 1000 French businesses in India in variegated sectors like defense, IT corridors, ITES, consulting, engineering services, heavy industry, smart-cities, railways, capital and trade exchanges, skill development etc.
France is the 11th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative FDI stock of USD 9.83 billion from April 2000 to March 2021, which represents 2 % of the total FDI inflows into India.
There are more than 150 Indian companies operating in France including sub-subsidiaries, employing more than 7 7,000 persons.

Many Established French Companies Present in India

Almost all the major French companies are present in India including Renault, Saint Gobain, Veolia, Michelin, Capgemini, Sanofi, EDF, Airbus, Lactalis, Sodexho, Total and others.
India’s Reliance, Tata, Mahindra, L&T and other big companies have tied up joint cooperation with major French companies like Dassault, SAFRAN, Thales, Scneider Electric and others in the defence and electronics sector.
French infrastructure companies are looking forward to major opportunities in Indian projects including in smart cities and renewable energy.

France is a Key Partner in Many Developmental Projects

France has been actively cooperating with various Indian programmes, especially three Smart Cities, viz. Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry.
SNCF- the French railways and the 8 Indian Railways have established a Permanent Indo-French Railway Forum.
They have been cooperating in the studies for the feasibility of semi-high speed upgrade of the Delhi-Chandigarh section and station development study of Ambala and Ludhiana.

Indian Diaspora in France

The Indian diaspora in France is estimated to be around 5,00,000 with majority being French citizens based in the French overseas territories.
So, there also exist vibrant bilateral cultural and educational linkages as also growing people-to-people contacts.
Indian diaspora also has a sizeable presence in metropolitan France and its overseas departments/territories.
Around 109,000 Indian citizens reside in mainland France, with a majority originating from former French colonies of Puducherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe and Chandernagore.
A sizeable number of Indian origin population lives in the French Overseas Territories of the Reunion Island (300,000), Guadeloupe (60,000) and Maritinique (6,000).
There has also been an increasing number of students (nearly 10,000) and professionals studying and working in mainland France.

India France Strategic Agreement