India’s diplomatic Ties with France?

India has close diplomatic ties with France and the two countries share similar views on various international issues. India and France have been increasingly engaged in several areas of cooperation such as defence, digital technologies and security of the Indian Ocean region.

Defence Sector Relations Between India and France

France is one of India’s most reliable allies. The two countries have been jointly developing aeronautical technology and combat aircraft. France delivered 36 Rafale jets to India, and a shareholder’s agreement has been signed between India’s Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and France’s Safran Helicopter Engine for the development of combat aircraft engines. Under the P75 Kalvari project, India and France jointly developed the Scorpene submarine. The Indian and French military conduct several annual joint exercises, such as Exercise Shakti, Exercise Garuda, and Exercise Varuna.

Space cooperation Between India and France

The history of Indo-French space collaboration can be traced back to the early 1960s, when France assisted India with the Rohini Sounding Rocket program. In 2019, India’s ISRO and France’s CNES collaborated to develop satellites that could track continuous ship movements and oil spillage.

Recently, the two organisations also decided to jointly develop TRISHNA, which is an Earth observation satellite. India and France also signed an agreement to cooperate on the development of Gaganyaan. CNES would help in the development of scientific plans and would also provide medicines and equipment that could be used by Indian astronauts.

Economic partnership Between India and France

Bilateral trade between India and France stood at $13.4 billion in 2022-2023. India’s exports to France were over $7 billion, and France is the 11th largest global investor in India. The French Development Agency has decided to finance India’s sustainable cities program – ‘CITIES 2.0’.

India and France have strong economic ties in the technology sector, the renewable energy sector, and the infrastructure development sector. Tata Technology and L&T Tech Service have set up their innovation centers in France to facilitate joint technological development between the two countries.

Civil Nuclear Cooperation Between India and France

France is one of the largest nuclear fuel suppliers to India. In 2008, France and India entered into the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement, under which French nuclear reactors were supplied to India. This agreement was signed in the aftermath of India getting a waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Climate Change Cooperation Between India and France

India and France have been jointly raising issues of climate change at the global level. India is a signatory to the 2015 Paris Agreement on Climate Change. India and France jointly launched the International Solar Alliance in 2015.

Cultural relations between India and France

India and France have shared strong cultural ties ever since the first French expedition in India in the first half of the 19th century. French traditions are very prevalent in Puducherry. The French Institute in India (IFI) promotes the development of the French language in India by providing training to teachers.

The IFI runs two flagship projects through which it promotes student exchange programmes between Indian and French educational institutions. Under the English Language Assistants Programme, Indian students are sent to France to teach English, and under the French Language Tutors in India programme, French students come to India to teach French in Indian institutions.

Relations Between India and France: India and France are close and friendly allies. The strategic relationship between the two countries extends to economic, defense, space, and technological cooperation. The two countries have long-standing cultural and economic ties and share several common values. Diplomatic relations between India and France were established in 1947.

Even during the freedom struggle, many Indian freedom fighters used to take shelter in French India to escape the British. The French had few colonies in India which included Yanam, Karaikal, Mahe, and Puducherry. By the Treaty of Cession, the French ceded all their colonies in 1962 and they were all combined into the Union Territory of Puducherry.

In this article, we will read about relations between India and France in different domains such as technology, defense, etc, and their effect on India and France.