Indo-France Relations

Indo-France Relations:

1)      Convergence of Indo-pacific strategies of India and France

●       France is a resident power in the Indian ocean with 2.7sq million km EEZ

●       France has deployed forces in the islands of Indian ocean and Djibouti

●       2018 partnership on ' Joint strategic vision of cooperation in the Indian ocean Region' - Mutual access to each other's military facilities.

●       'Varuna'- Joint naval exercise in 2021, a Coordinated patrol (CORPAT) with a non-neighbour country by India for the first time.

2)      Indo-France Nuclear cooperation

●       Tarapur Nuclear plant take over by France from US post 1974 Nuclear tests conducted by India

●       France didn't impose sanctions against India post 1998 nuclear test - in contrast to the USA, Japan and other European countries.

3)     Military cooperation

●       France believes in strategic autonomy which is concurrent with India's Non-alignment policy.

●       2005 Scorpene contract, 2016 Rafale deals and 2023 Rafale-M proposal are areas of military cooperation

4)     International Solar Alliance (ISA) launched at COP21 in Paris.

5)     Regional networks

●       Indian ocean Commission

●       Indian Ocean Naval Symposium

●       Indian Ocean Rim Association

6)     Trilateral forums

●       France-India-Australia dialogue

●       France-India- UAE

Analysis: 25th Anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership

1.   India and France are long-standing strategic partners in the Indo-Pacific. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1947, and the upgrading of the partnership to the strategic level in 1998, our two countries have consistently acted together, building on a high level of mutual trust, shared commitment to the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter and common values rooted in international law.

2.     To mark the 25th anniversary of the Indo-French partnership, both countries agree to adopt a roadmap to set the course for the bilateral relationship up to 2047, which will celebrate the centenary of India’s independence, the centenary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries and 50 years of the strategic partnership.

3.     India and France intend to work together in the interest of international peace and stability and reaffirm their commitment to a rules-based order in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. They agree to work within the framework of a partnership between equals, in consonance with their respective sovereign and strategic interests, as they have done since 1998. In order to further deepen this Strategic Partnership, and in keeping with universal values of liberty, equality, democracy and the rule of law, India and France have decided to strengthen cooperation in the sectors of the future, so as to reinforce their sovereignty and decision-making autonomy, and to respond together to the major challenges confronting our planet, including through the cooperation between India and the European Union.

Building sovereign defence capabilities together:

1.1 France is one of India’s key partners in the development of a self-reliant defence industrial and technological base. India and France are committed to cooperating in the co-development and co-production of advanced defence technologies, including for the benefit of third countries.

1.2 In line with their outstanding cooperation in military aviation spanning over five decades, India and France welcome the timely delivery of the 36 Rafale ordered by India. They also support industrial cooperation for motorization of heavy-lift helicopters under the Indian Multi Role Helicopter [IMRH] programme with Safran Helicopter Engine, France.

1.3 India and France hail the success of the first Scorpene submarine construction programme (P75 – Kalvari), a model of Make in India and the sharing of naval expertise between companies in the two countries. India and France are ready to explore more ambitious projects to develop the Indian submarine fleet and its performance.

To this end, both countries are also working towards adopting a Roadmap on Defence Industrial Cooperation. In view of the uptick in defence industrial collaborations between the two countries, India is setting up a Technical Office of the DRDO at its Embassy in Paris.

Providing concrete solutions to make Indo-Pacific an area of stability and sustainable development

2.1 India and France are two Indo-Pacific nations that share a common vision on this crucial region. India and France are determined to strengthen the cooperation initiated under the Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region adopted in 2018 and have therefore adopted a new Indo-Pacific Roadmap. They are committed to work together to secure their own economic and security interests; ensure equal and free access to global commons; build partnerships of prosperity and sustainability in the region thanks to common development action; advance the rule of international law; work with others in the region and beyond and build a balanced and stable order in the region, with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. They have decided to give utmost attention and extend their cooperation to the Pacific, with the close involvement of the French territories of New Caledonia and French Polynesia. The French overseas territories in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, will play an important role in the Indo-Pacific partnership between the two countries.

2.2 Trilateral cooperation with like-minded partners in the region will be a key pillar of cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region in particular through the dialogue launched with the United Arab Emirates, a strategic partner for both countries, on February 4th, 2023 at ministerial level, as well as with Australia, launched in September 2020

Putting space at the heart of our strategic relationship

3.1 Access to space, space technologies and the development of services and applications using space data and capabilities are at the heart of our societies' innovation, scientific development and economic growth. India and France have decided to deepen their cooperation in all areas of the space sector by strengthening their programmes of common interests including:

Scientific and commercial partnership: CNES and ISRO will strengthen their partnership mainly around two structuring axes: climate and environment, with the development of the TRISHNA mission and activities within the Space Climate Observatory (SCO) on topics such as water resource management, marine resources and air quality monitoring; space exploration (Mars, Venus), maritime monitoring, launchers and manned flights in connection with India’s Gaganyaan programme. NSIL and Arianespace also plan to collaborate in commercial launch services.
Resilience of access to space: India and France will work to strengthen their synergies in terms of sovereign access to space and the development of forward-looking technologies to boost the resilience of access to space with involvement of their space industries.

India and France will also continue to engage through the recently institutionalised bilateral strategic space dialogue.

Analysis of India-France relations:

·  Characteristics: The relationship between the two countries is characterized by strategic autonomy, independent foreign policies, and a shared vision of a multipolar world.

·     Security objectives prominent: Unlike Indo-German relations, which are focused on trade, India and France prioritize security objectives.

o   France has helped India diversify its pool of arms suppliers beyond Russia and the US, especially when sanctions were imposed on India in the past.

·     Balancing China: The relationship aims to balance China’s influence in the Indian Ocean and have a shared concern about Chinese expansionism.

·      Multi-dimensional: The partnership between India and France has seen advancements through joint strategic visions, logistic support agreements, and military exercises in recent times

Dimensions of India-France Relations:

Challenges in the relationship:

India and France don’t have Free Trade Agreement, which limits the potential for increased trade and economic cooperation. Also, there is a trade imbalance in favour of France (France exporting more to India). Also, France has many times expressed concern on India’s stance at WTO, Climate summit and on India’s protection of intellectual property rights

Conclusion:

While military cooperation remains important, the Indo-French relationship could expand beyond arms sales. Initiatives like the International Solar Alliance and exploring mini-lateral and multilateral cooperation in the Indo-Pacific could bring additional dimensions to their partnership.