The Hindu Editorial Analysis: India-France Strategic Partnership

The Hindu Editorial Analysis: India-France Strategic Partnership

In Today’s ”The Hindu Editorial Analysis: India-France Strategic Partnership” we will read about India-France Strategic Partnership, Defence Partnership between India and France, India-France Maritime ties, India-France on Indo-Pacific and India-France on Russia-Ukraine, etc.

India France Strategic Agreement

Context of India-France Strategic Partnership

• In News: Signed in January 26, 1998, the time-tested India-France Strategic Partnership has continued to gain momentum over shared values and aspirations of peace, stability and, most importantly, their desire for strategic autonomy.
• No Disagreements: It has been 25 years of their strategic partnership and there are no real substantive disagreements between the two nations.
• Important Opportunity: The celebration of 25th anniversary of India-France strategic partnership presents an important opportunity for both to introspect on their relations.

4th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue 2022 | India- France Relations

About India-France Strategic Partnership

• When Begin?: India and France have traditionally close and friendly relations. In 1998, the two countries entered into Strategic Partnership which is emblematic of their convergence of views on a range of international issues apart from a close and growing bilateral relationship.
• Areas of cooperation? Three principal pillars of cooperation between India-France are:
  • Strategic Partnership
  • Defence cooperation
  • Space cooperation and civil nuclear cooperation
• New Areas of cooperation: Climate change, sustainable growth and development, the International Solar Alliance etc.
• Both India and France support a multi-polar world order.
  • France has provided consistent support to India’s candidature for the membership of all the four Multilateral Export Control regimes, viz. Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA) and the Australia Group (AG). France’s support was vital in India’s accession to MTCR, WA and AG while France continues to support India’s bid for accession to the NSG.
• France supports India’s claim for permanent membership of the UNSC
  • France has continued to support India’s claim for permanent membership of the Security Council and the reforms of the United Nations.
• India- France Against Terrorism 
  • India and France have consistently condemned terrorism and have resolved to work together for adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) in the UN.
  • During the visit of President Macron to India in March 2018, India and France reaffirmed their strong determination to eliminate terrorism everywhere it is to be found and condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations including cross-border terrorism and terror-related incidents in France and India.

Analysis Of Sansad TV Discussion: India-France Relations

France Is The Key Defence Partner For India

• France has emerged as a major strategic partner for India with crucial defence deals and increased military to military engagement.
• A key example of this is the inducting of the French Scorpene conventional submarines, being built in India under technology transfer agreement of 2005, and the Indian Air Force having received 36 Rafale fighter jets.
• The Tata group has also tied up with Airbus to manufacture C-295 tactical transport aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat. This line is expected to be expanded into other civilian and military aircraft manufacturing in a joint venture with France.

India-France Joint Military Exercises

• India-France Defence Relations are further fortified with the robust network of military dialogues and regularly held joint exercises — Varuna (navy), Garuda (air force), and Shakti (army).
• The importance of the defence partnership was further underscored in the recent statement by the French Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain — that France is a willing partner for India as it builds its national industrial base for the defence industry and for critical strategic defence projects.

Civil nuclear deal

• As the complexities in the international geopolitical order have emerged, both countries have worked towards a deepening and broadening of their cooperation.
• France was among the first countries with which India signed a civil nuclear deal.
• Paris also played a critical role in limiting India’s isolation in the non-proliferation order after the 1998 nuclear tests.

21st Edition of VARUNA Exercise 2023

India-France Maritime ties

•  The deepening of the strategic partnership between India and France is also visible in their maritime cooperation.
• India and France are resident powers of the Indian Ocean and in the Indo-Pacific.
• The importance of the Indian Ocean Region was visible during the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to New Delhi in 2018 when the leadership of both countries welcomed the “Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region” which presented a blueprint for a strengthening of ties.
• In operational terms, Franco-Indian joint patrolling in the Indian Ocean signals New Delhi’s intent to engage with like-minded partners in expanding its footprint in the Indian Ocean.

Agreement on reciprocal logistics support between the India-France armed forces

• With this agreement, Maritime security has further gained momentum as both countries have articulated their common vision for a free, fair and open Indo-Pacific.

Kalvari Class Submarine INS Vagir Commissioned in Indian Navy

India-France Strategic Partnership on Indo-Pacific

• Both India and France share a comprehensive strategy for the Indo-Pacific.
• The comprehensive strategy seeks to provide comprehensive solutions for maritime security, regional cooperation, climate change adaptation.
• India and France in September 2022 agreed to set up an Indo-Pacific Trilateral Development Cooperation Fund that will support sustainable innovative solutions for countries in the region.
• The two partners have also formed a trilateral grouping with the United Arab Emirates to ensure maritime domain awareness and security from the east coast of Africa to the far Pacific.
• There is a high-level India-France political dialogue that is ongoing in defence, maritime, counterterrorism and the Indo-Pacific.
• Both India and France are now forging ahead with cooperation in issues such as digitisation, cyber, green energy, a blue economy, ocean sciences, and space’.

India-France on Russia-Ukraine Crisis

• While there are divergences over the Ukraine crisis, there is a broad understanding of each other’s position and both countries(India-France) are working together to coordinate on playing a constructive role in the crisis.
• It also needs to be noted that Mr. Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi are among the few world leaders who have maintained open communication channels with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Other Important Areas of India-France Cooperation

France Is Key Trading Partner Of India

• France has emerged as a key trading partner of India with annual trade of $12.42 billion in 2021-22.
• It is the 11th largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of $10.31 billion from April 2000 to June 2022, which represents 1.70% of the total foreign direct investment inflows into India.
• More importantly, it has emerged as a key defence partner for India, becoming the second largest defence supplier in 2017- 2021.

Paris Agreement and International Solar Alliance

• An area of importance for both is climate change, where India has supported France in the Paris Agreement expressing its strong commitment towards mitigating climate change impact.
• New Delhi and Paris, as part of their joint efforts on climate change, launched the International Solar Alliance in 2015.

Way Forward

Common Values and Goals: India’s partnership with France is built on common values and goals. Both have underlined the importance of maintaining strategic autonomy with a shared understanding of global risks in many domains.

Much Ground Ahead: India and France understand each other’s interests and dependencies, be it in relation to China or Russia. In the marking of a long strategic partnership, a common interest in enhancing strategic autonomy and improving resilience, there is much ground ahead for further collaboration.

Both Are Resilient on Indo-Pacific: Both India and France share concerns over the rise of China and its aggressive behaviour, regionally and globally, and have committed to working together to ensure that there is no imbalance in the Indo-Pacific.

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