Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on 26th Jan 2024, Friday said that the India-France Defence Industrial Roadmap is among the key outcomes of French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India.
Briefing media in New Delhi this afternoon, Mr Kwatra said documents which have been agreed upon during the French President’s visit include an agreement on Defence Space partnership and an MoU between New Space India Limited and Arianespace with regard to satellite launches.
He added that an industrial partnership between Tata and Airbus Helicopters for the production of H125 helicopters is also among the key outcomes. He announced that the year 2026 will be celebrated as the India-France year of innovation.
The Foreign Secretary said the Indian consulate in the southern city of France in Marseille and the French bureau in Hyderabad are now fully ready to be operational. He said both countries have decided to set up a solar academy in Senegal under the Star Sea program of the International Solar Alliance. He said French support has always been very strong and forthcoming for India’s candidacy to the International Energy Agency.
On defence cooperation between India and France, the Foreign Secretary elaborated that the focus of the defence production roadmap is to identify opportunities for partnership in the defence industrial sector that prioritise co-designing, co-development, co-production and building the defence supply chains between the two countries.
Mr Kwatra said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the French President also discussed the ongoing conflict in Gaza and its various dimensions, during their meeting. He said both leaders also discussed developments in the Red Sea, including the potential disruptions caused by the developments.