Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been asked to be the guest of honor at France’s Bastille Day on July 14. This is a big step forward in the relationship between India and France.
This prestigious invitation, which was given to Manmohan Singh when he was prime minister, shows how deep the ties between the two countries are. They cover defense, the Indo-Pacific strategy, climate change, and economic cooperation. A group from the Indian Armed Forces will also take part in the annual Bastille Day parade.
In a press release, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “The Prime Minister’s visit is expected to mark the beginning of the next phase of the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for our strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, and economic cooperation in a wide range of fields.”
The India-France Strategic Partnership has grown a lot in the last 25 years. Trade between the two countries has doubled in the last ten years and will hit $15.1 billion in 2021-22.
Earlier this year, Mint said that India and France are planning a busy summer full of business talks. For the Choose France Summit, which will be held by President Emmanuel Macron, a group of important Indian CEOs is expected to come to France. Defense has always been an important part of the relationship between the two countries, and France is India’s second-largest supplier of military weapons.
“This historic visit will also lead to joint initiatives to address the most important issues of our time, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. It will also give India and France a chance to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India’s G20 Presidency,” the release said.
As China’s power grows and security in the Indo-Pacific region gets worse, India and France have worked together to form trilateral partnerships with countries that have similar goals, fund development projects, and hold large-scale military drills.
The MEA says that India and France have the same ideas about peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific. They also support the goals and principles of the UN Charter, which are also the ground of their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.
