Indo-French Relations

Bilateral Brief

• India and France have enjoyed cordial and substantive ties ever since our country’s independence. However over the last decade, a noticeable deepening and strengthening of bilateral ties can be observed. This is best reflected by the increased frequency of high level visits, the latest being PM Dr. Manmohan Singh’s visit to France in September, 2008 following closely on the heels of the State visit to India by President Nicolas Sarkozy in January, 2008.    
• 2.             The January 1998 visit by President Chirac, in certain ways, marked a turning point in the tempo of our relations putting it on a qualitatively different level.  The French President’s visit was followed by the visit of Prime Minister Vajpayee to France in September the same year, which was a significant visit as it was the first by the PM to a European country after the Indian nuclear tests and played an important role in normalizing our ties with the rest of Europe. Since then, other high level bilateral visits have included President Narayanan in April 2000 and French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin in February 2003. In June 2003, Prime Minister Vajpayee was one of the world leaders invited by President Chirac to Evian, France, for a ‘broader dialogue’, prior to the G-8 Summit.
• 3.             Prime Minister Manmohan Singh visited France in September 2005, which gave further impetus to bilateral ties between the two countries. In the Joint Statement that was issued at the conclusion of the visit, India and France pledged to double their bilateral trade in the coming five years. (This target was later reduced to three years by the Indian and French Commerce Ministers in 2006).  During President Chirac’s State visit to India in February 2006 a Joint Declaration on Development of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes, Agreement on Defence Cooperation and several other agreements in diverse areas were signed. 
• 4.             The former President Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam visited Strasbourg from 24^th -25^th April, 2007. He addressed the European Parliament and the International Space University (ISU). He also interacted with the Faculty and students of ISU and met the Mayor of Strasbourg.
• 5.             Shortly after taking office, President Nicolas Sarkozy was extended an invitation by the Government of India to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations in 2008. President Sarkozy undertook a State visit to India from 25^th -26^th January, 2008. He was accompanied by five French Ministers (DPM & Minister for Ecology & Sustainable Planning & Development Jean-Louis Borloo, Defence Minister Herve Morin, Justice Minister Rachida Dati, Higher Education Minister Valerie Pecresse and Deputy Foreign Minister for Human Rights Rama Yade) and a large and important business delegation. Several important agreements were signed during the visit. A Joint Statement was issued reflecting a shared commitment of both countries to providing fresh impetus to the Strategic Partnership. President Sarkozy also made a short visit to Agra. He extended an invitation to PM Mamohan Singh to visit France in the latter half of 2008 during the French presidency of the EU.
• 6.             PM Manmohan Singh was on an official visit to France from 28^th-30^th September, 2008. The India-EU Summit took place at Marseille on 29^th September while the India-France bilateral Summit took place in Paris the following day. During the visit, besides meeting President Sarkozy, PM Manmohan Singh also met French PM Francois Fillon and addressed a gathering at MEDEF (French Association of company heads). In the presence of PM Manmohan Singh and President Sarkozy, three Agreements were signed: Cooperation Agreement on the Development of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy, Framework Agreement on Cooperation in the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space and Agreement on Social Security. In addition to these Agreements, an Agreement between ANTRIX Corporation with ASTRIUM S.A.S. on Use of ISRO’s PSLV for Launching Commercial Payloads and an MoU between Indian Institute of Space Sciences & Technology and Ecole Polytechnique towards further collaboration in academics and research activities, were also signed. A Joint Statement was issued at the conclusion of the visit (Annexure III).
• 7.             In addition to these high-level contacts, simultaneously a very active programme of interactions at the level of Ministers, Parliamentarians, opinion makers, and senior officials of the two countries has been taking place. A list of visits from and to France in 2007-2009 has been tabulated in Annexure I. 
• 8.             FM Bernard Kouchner was on an official visit to India from 20^th -22^nd December, 2007 which preceded the State visit by President Sarkozy to India. The entire gamut of bilateral relations was discussed with the Indian leadership including regional and international issues of common concern.
• Institutional Structure for dialogue
• 9.             France and India have instituted a high-level, Strategic Dialogue at the level of National Security Advisors which provides both sides an opportunity to review the evolution of the overall global security situation and emerging challenges in various parts of the world. The 20^th round of Strategic Dialogue took place in New Delhi on 17^th January, 2009.  Annual consultations between the two foreign ministries are held at the level of Foreign Secretaries. The next round of the Foreign Office Consultations will take place in Paris on 5^th February, 2009. A special Joint Working Group on Terrorism has been established to aid cooperation in the fight against terrorism.  A High Level Committee for Defence at the level of Defence Secretaries, working through its three specialized sub-committees, deals with issues related to our defence cooperation.  The last meeting was held in Paris on 25^th – 26^th November, 2008. A Joint Committee for Economic and Technical Cooperation at the level of Ministers of Commerce, deals with issues related to commerce and trade. The last meeting was held in New Delhi on 16^th -17^th September, 2008. The erstwhile Indo-French Forum brought together eminent personalities and opinion makers of two countries from the fields of art, culture & technology, business and academia. The 11^th Plenary Session of the IFF was held in Paris on 27^th October, 2006. The 5^th Coordinators’ Meeting of the IFF was held in New Delhi on 2^nd April, 2007. During President Sarkozy’s visit to India in January, 2008, it was decided to convert the IFF into the CEOs’ Forum. The list of members from both sides has been exchanged. 
• Economic and Commercial Ties
  
  10.           France is the 6^th largest economy of the world and an important member of the    G-8. Its technological strengths make it the leader in sectors such as aviation, space, food processing, transport, railways and agricultural research. However, France’s business interaction with India is not commensurate with its intrinsic economic capacity. France is ranked 5^th in the list of India’s trading partners among EU countries (after the UK, Belgium, Germany and Italy). Indo-French bilateral trade has been growing over the years. A table showing bilateral trade between India and France during the last five years is at Annexure II.  Indo-French trade, at € 6.92 billion, is still below the potential.
• 11.           In the Joint Statement issued at the conclusion of President Sarkozy’s visit to India in January 2008, it was decided to double the two-way trade by 2012, i.e. to increase from the then current Euro 6.14 billion to almost Euro 12 billion.  
• 12.           French exports to India comprise mainly of aeronautical & space construction products, iron & steel products, electrical equipment and apparatus, measuring and process control equipment, organic chemical products, mechanical products, etc. Indian exports to France consist of a wide range of goods and services spread over a large base of Indian companies, especially from the small and medium sector. While traditional items such as garments & textiles constitute a major share of India's exports to France, a number of newly developed non-traditional items such as food products, organic chemicals, refined petroleum products, etc. are showing promising growth.  
• 13.           Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) approved from France from 1991 to March, 2007 is of the order of US$ 1.76 billion out of which the actual inflow is of the order of US$ 900 million. The number of technical and financial collaborations approved with France is 915. France is the 8^th largest foreign investor in the period August 1991 to March 2007. Indian investments in France have also been growing. Indian companies are active in IT, pharmaceuticals, plastic industry and auto-parts in France. In 2007, Indian companies invested around € 0.5 billion in France.
   
   
• Cultural Exchanges
• 14.           Indian culture enjoys a wide and discerning audience among the French population, as is evident in the numerous and frequent cultural events organised all over France, spanning the entire diversity of the Indian art, music, dance and literature.  The Indo-French Cultural Exchange Programme provides the overall umbrella for the organisation of a variety of cultural programmes.  The Indian Council for Cultural Relations sponsors visits of Indian artists to France, while a significant number of Indian artists also visit France at the initiative of the various local cultural associations outside the purview of the official exchanges. India is now actively working to establish an Indian Cultural Centre in Paris.
• 15.           Popular Indian cinema is finding new appreciation in France.  The draft Indo-French Agreement on Co-production of Films is under consideration of authorities on both sides.  
• 16.           Despite the absence of Indian Cultural Centre in Paris, the sustained interest in Indian culture could be gauged from the fact that various French organizations and Indo-French Associations organize events with great interest all over France. In the current calendar year since January, 2008, there had been 31 dance performances; 28 music concerts; 9 cultural festivals; 24 photographic exhibitions; 20 art exhibitions including Indian participation in the Biennale of Design at St Etienne in 2008.  There is an important exhibition going on of Indian textiles at the Textile Museum, Mulhouse from September, 2008 to May, 2009.  There had been 14 film festivals with Indian participation, including film festival at Cannes, Asian Film Festival at Vesoul and Deauville.  Five of the film festivals specifically had India as theme or as country of honour including Festival Ete Indien, Musee Guimet; Festival of Animation Films, Annecy; Festival Etoiles et Toiles d’Asie, Lyon and Festival Moulins sur Allie in 2008. There were other events like the Poetry Market in Paris; Women’s Economic Forum and the Tranoi Fashion Show where 16 Indian designers participated.  There was inauguration of bust of Mahatma Gandhi at the Maison de l’Inde by Shri Rajmohan Gandhi, who also released a book on Gandhi on Gandhi Jayanti.  The Indian Embassy received over 45 filming proposals in 2008. At the Cannes Film Festival, Dev Anand's film 'Guide' was selected for screening in the classic section. Yash Chopra, Ketan Mehta, Nandita Das and Sudhir Mishra were awarded by prestigious French awards for their contributions in the field of films. Noted French author Dominique Lapierre was awarded with the Padma Bhushan.
• Educational Exchanges and Cooperation
• 17.           The Indo-French Cultural Programme also covers bilateral cooperation in the field of education. France actively promotes the French language and culture through various programmes.  Apart from assisting the Institute of French Studies, Pondicherry, France also offers scholarships for studying French language, hotel management, public administration, fine arts, mass communication etc.  These scholarships provide assistance to about 40 Indian students every year, for periods ranging from one to fourteen months.  In turn, India provides the services of an Indian professor of Sanskrit at the Sorbonne University of Paris, and offers, on average, 16 one-year scholarships to French students wanting to specialise in India studies, including two scholarships for the study of Hindi.  The French Government has been taking an active interest to attract a greater number of Indian students for higher studies in France, and “Higher Education in France” fairs have been organised in India in 1998, 1999 and 2003 and 2007. The last “EU Higher Education Fair” was held in India in November 2008.
• Scientific and Technical Collaboration
• 18.           An active exchange of experts takes place between France and India in several key high-technology areas of research, under the aegis of agreements between the two countries (such as the Agreement for Cooperation in Science and Technology, which dates back to July 1978) as well as specific agreements between specialised Indian Ministries or organisations and their French counterparts.  The Indo-French Centre for Promotion of Advanced Research (IFCPAR) has been an important contributor to bilateral scientific cooperation at the level of individual scientists and researchers.  
• 19.           The long-standing cooperation between ISRO and the French Space Agency CNES in the exploration and research and peaceful uses of Outer Space is an outstanding example of scientific collaboration. INSAT satellites have been regularly launched by French Ariane launchers. 
• Indians and Indian-origin persons in France
• 20.           The Indian community in France is estimated to be around 60,000, largely originating from Pondicherry, Karaikal, Yanam, Mahe and Chandranagar. Later arrivals have been predominantly Gujaratis from Madagascar, Seychelles and Mauritius.  About 6000 Indian nationals living in France are registered with the Indian Mission in Paris.  The Indian and India-origin communities in France have formed a number of associations, and 20 of them came together in January 1996 to register the Federation of Indian Associations in France (FAFI).  In addition, a number of Persons of Indian Origin inhabit the French territories of Reunion Islands, Guadeloupe, and Martinique, and their representatives participate enthusiastically in the Pravasi Bhartiya Diwas celebrations organised in India.  The 150^th Anniversary of the arrival of Indians in Martinique was celebrated in May 2003, and a similar anniversary function was held in Guadeloupe in 2004. ***** 27.01.2010