Few events governing cordial relations

• 1962: India’s Close Relations with France go back to the period of General De Gaullist France came to India’s assistance during the UN embargo on arms supply to India following the Pakistani attack.
• 1971: The French were also sympathetic towards India during the Bangladesh war of 1971. The two countries have had a long period of cooperation in the fields of nuclear energy and space technology.
• 1974: Moreover, when the US refused to supply low-enriched uranium for the Tarapur reactor after Pokhran I of 1974, France came to India’s rescue.
• 1998: Also, Indo-French ties warmed up considerably after Pokhran II when France supported India at international forums and showed a rare understanding of New Delhi’s sensitivities  Even in the era of the Cold War when it was a part of the Western Alliance, this feeling expressed itself in President Gaulle’s pursuit of an independent nuclear programme and adoption of foreign policy postures that often left the US and the UK fuming.
• Interestingly, France also has island possessions in the Indian Ocean where a significant part of the population is of Indian ethnic origin. Naturally, therefore it makes good sense for the two countries to initiate a strategic dialogue.

Indo-France Strategic Relations

• The origin of this strategic partnership lies in a shared common history of the two nations and in France’s colonial involvement with India in a limited sense.
• Even in the post-independence period the French preferred to keep Pondicherry as an expression of the open French culture. The more important connecting factor is the shared democratic values of the nations.
• The diagram below explains other dimensions.

India-France Commercial Diplomacy

• The commercial link between India and France had been developed to a large extent by JRD Tata. JRD Tata had a unique French Connection. He was born and brought up in France.
• Since the 1990s, various French firms have taken up investments in India. Between 2000 and 2015, France invested around three billion dollars worth of FDI.
• There are more than 1000 French firms in India with a total stock of around 17 billion dollars.
• Some prominent firms include Schneider, Alstom, Saint Gobain, Renault, Airbus, Michelin, Vinci, Lafarge, Sanofi Aventis, Danone and an energy firm called Total.
• Indian firms like Tata, Ranbaxy, and Infosys and TCS are prominent players in France. A lot of small Indian firms in automobile parts and plastics also are doing business in France.
•  In 2016, when Hollande revisited India in January, he identified certain priority areas for commercial interaction.

India-France Nuclear and Technology Cooperation

• As mentioned previously that after India and the US concluded a nuclear deal, it was followed by one with France as well in 2008.
• In 2008, Indian and France concluded an agreement where Areva (the French firm) will work with the NPCIL as per a signed MoU to build six European Pressurized Reactors (EPR) for 10000 MW electricity in Jaitapur to give nuclear fuel to India for 25 years.

Issues at the Jaitapur Plant

• The proposed nuclear plant is in Madban village of Ratnagiri District in Maharashtra.
• The plant has witnessed some protests in recent times.
• The area in which the plant is to be established is very close to the sea. A lot of fishermen depend upon the sea for their livelihood. Once the plant is operationalised, it is expected to release a lot of hot water into the sea.
• The fishermen fear that this release of hot water will raise the sea temperatures, which would, in turn, affect fishing.

India-France Defence Partnership

• A crucial bedrock of the Indo-France relation is defence cooperation. India and France.
• France is a leading supplier of defence equipment to India. It supplies aircraft, helicopters, surface-to-air missiles and artillery. undertake large weapon procurement diplomacy.
• India and France established joint working groups on terrorism in 2001. There are more than 60 events at various levels of defence interactions between India and France.
• Moreover, although France has been supplying some weapons to Pakistan, it has never tried an Indo–Pak hyphenation. France has always adopted the policy of dehyphenation in defence diplomacy.
• France also accepts that India has a defence foreign policy of diversification and shall drive its policy as per its national interests.
• Russia undoubtedly remains a big supplier, but the US, Israel and France are also major partners. France has no insecurity with regard to India’s policy of diversification.
• India had signed a pact with a French firm named DCNS for technology transfer to Mazgaon Docks Limited. Mazgaon Dock Limited was designated as the builder. The pact with DCNS included Indo–French collaboration for six scorpene class submarines.
•  A scorpene class submarine is known for its stealth features and can be used to launch guided attacks with torpedoes and tube-launched anti-ship missiles.
• In May 2016, Kalvari became the first scorpene class submarine that went into operation.
• France understands India’s need to go beyond the buyer-seller relationship to the realm of strategic defence partnership.
•  India prefers to envisage joint development and production with players to emerge as a potential partner for the future. France has accepted India’s policy of co-production and development of defence equipment.
• Joint exercises between the air forces (Garuda series) and the armies (Shakti series) were instituted in 2003 and 2011 respectively.

India – France Rafale deal

Rafales are twin-engine Medium Multi-Role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) manufactured by Dassault Aviation, a French firm. Rafale fighter jets are positioned as ‘omnirole’ aircraft that are capable to perform a wide range of combat roles such as air supremacy, interdiction, aerial reconnaissance, ground support, in-depth strike, anti-ship strike and nuclear deterrence.

Indian Air Force sought additional fighter jets in 2001. The current IAF fleet largely consists of heavy and light-weight combat aircraft. So the Defence Ministry considered bringing in intermediate medium-weight fighter jets. Though the idea has been around since 2001, the actual process began in 2007. The Defence Acquisition Council, headed by then Defence Minister A.K. Antony, approved the Request For Proposal to buy 126 aircraft in August 2007. This kick-started the bidding process.

Both India and France witnessed national elections and a change in government while the negotiations were underway. Pricing was another factor. Even during the signing of the purchase agreement, both sides couldn’t reach a conclusion on the financial aspects.

How important is this deal to both India and France?

France

Rafale jets are currently being used mostly by France and also by Egypt and Qatar. Dassault is hoping that the export of Rafale jets will help the company meet its revenue targets. India was the first country that agreed to buy Rafale after it was used in Libyan airstrikes. If India inducts these jets into its military fold, other nations could express their willingness to buy Rafales.

India

India chose Dassault over its traditional partner Russia’s MiG. It also ignored Lockheed of the USA, at a time when India and USA were aiming for closer ties. Procurement of combat aircraft is long overdue for the Indian Air Force. Further delay can only make things worse. This deal is India’s biggest-ever procurement. In the effectiveness of the Rafale deal lies the future of other defence procurements.

Cooperation in Space Sector

• France assisted India to set up the Sriharikota launch site.
• Today, the India-France relationship in the space sector is of near equal and the 'vision statement' refers to world-class joint missions for space situational awareness, and high-resolution earth observation missions with applications in meteorology, oceanography, and cartography.
• Space agencies of India and France inked an agreement for cooperation for the country's first human space mission Gaganyaan.

Cooperation in the Field of Environment

• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) was set in motion jointly by India and France.
• The two launched the Indo-French Year of the Environment in January 2021 to strengthen cooperation on environmental issues and ensure coordination. Its objective was to strengthen Indo-French cooperation in sustainable development, increase the effectiveness of actions in favour of global environment protection and give them greater visibility.
• The Indo-French Year of the Environment was based on five main themes:

1. Environmental protection
2. Climate change
3. Biodiversity conservation
4. Sustainable urban development
5. Development of renewable energies and energy efficiency

Recent in Indo-France Relations

• Bilateral trade practically doubled in a span of 10 years from 2010 to 2020, touching the 12 billion euro mark before the pandemic. In 2021, India ranked 15th among France's trade partners, rising three places.
• Today, there are more than 600 French subsidiaries employing a workforce of around 400000 individuals.
• The total stock of French investment in India rose to 10 billion euros by the end of 2020.
• In September 2022, India and France agreed to set up an Indo-Pacific trilateral framework to roll out development projects, decided to expand strategic cooperation, and vowed to work closely to deal with pressing global challenges such as the food crisis triggered by the Ukraine war.
• India and France decided to expand cooperation in the Indo-Pacific under separate trilaterals with Australia and the UAE.
• France supports a permanent seat for India in the UNSC.
• India's Unified Payment Interface (UPI) has been launched in France.
• France's Safran Group is setting up their largest and the first aircraft engine MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) facility in Hyderabad. The facility will be set up with an investment of $150 million and is expected to create about 1000 high-skilled jobs in Telangana.
• France has announced its support for PM Modi's Lifestyle for the Environment (LIFE) initiative and promised to work with India on promoting sustainable lifestyles to fight climate change.