Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to France starting on July 13 would be both rich in form and substance and would set new benchmarks for strategic partnership between the two countries in the future, Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said Wednesday. Addressing the media ahead of the visit, Kwatra spoke about increasing defence cooperation between the militaries of the two countries in terms of joint exercises as well as cooperation in logistics support and maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region and the Indo-Pacific and research and design in the defence sector. He said the discussions between Modi and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron would hinge on co-production, co-development of military hardware with a focus on India’s self-reliance goals. He refused to comment on specific details of the deals expected to be announced during the visit. A few big-ticket announcements on the defence front are expected during the Prime Minister's visit, including India’s procurement of 26 Rafale M fighters and additional Scorpene submarines for the Navy and a deal to jointly develop an aircraft engine in India. The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) headed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is expected to meet on Thursday to clear the deals likely to be announced during the visit. Aside from defence, Kwatra said Modi and Macron will discuss cooperation in key pillars of the strategic partnership, including civil nuclear technology, counter-terrorism, cyber security, space, climate change and integration of supply chains of the two countries as well as explore new areas of cooperation in the space sector. Prime Minister Modi will be the guest of honour at the Bastille Day Parade. A 269-member Indian tri-services contingent will participate in the parade. Three Rafale fighter jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will also join the flypast on the occasion along with French jets. Responding to a question, Kwatra said the recent riots in French cities is an internal matter of the country and will not impact the visit. He also said that both sides are engaged in “intense” discussions to resolve all issues, including those relating civil nuclear liability, cost and techno commercial matters on the 1650 MW nuclear power reactors in Jaitapur in Maharashtra. Kwatra said Modi on Thursday will meet President of the French Senate Gérard Larcher, Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne and will address the Indian community at La Seine Musicale. In the evening, Macron will host a private dinner for the Prime Minister. On Friday, after attending the Bastille Day Parade, he will meet the president of French National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet and attend a series of interactions with thought leaders and businesspeople. There will be a ceremonial reception for Modi at the Élysée Palace on Friday after which there will be delegation-level talks between Modi and Macron. Both the leaders will participate in the India-France CEO Forum and in the evening, Macron will host a banquet for Modi at the Louvre museum complex in Paris. On his way back from France, Modi will visit Abu Dhabi, where he is slated to hold talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on July 15. The two leaders are expected to discuss further cooperation in sectors of defence, energy, food security and fintech. “We have all seen significant transformation in India-UAE relations and the central driver has been the vision of two leaders,” Kwatra said. “We have seen significant jump and qualitative enhancement in the substance of our engagement across the whole range of areas since the signing of SEPA and our partnership has grown from strength to strength, reflected in strong economic exchanges, trade and investment, people to people ties and convergence on a range of regional and international issues,” he said. He said the visit will also be an opportunity to discuss cooperation on global issues, particularly in the context of the UAE's Presidency of COP-28 and India's G-20 Presidency in which the UAE is a “special invitee”.
