INDIA-FRANCE TIES (Syllabus: GS Paper 2 – IR)

Context: India and France recently firmed up a road map for a defence-industrial partnership that would provide for the co-development and co-production of key military and civilian hardware.

India France Relations

• India’s Nuclear Test: France was one of the first countries to support India’s nuclear tests in 1998, and the two countries signed a strategic partnership in the same year.
• Defence Supplier: France has become India's second-largest defence supplier in the past five years, cementing its position as a key defence partner for the country.

oExercise Shakti (Army), Exercise Varuna (Navy), Exercise Garuda (Air Force).

• Collaboration across sectors, such as manufacturing, infrastructure, and technology.

oBilateral trade was USD 13.4 billion in 2022-23, France is one of the top 11 foreign investors in India.

• Civil Nuclear Agreement: France was the first country after the USA to sign a civil nuclear agreement with India in 2008.

oFrance has been a strong supporter of India's bid for permanent membership in the UN Security Council and the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

• Stable Indo-Pacific: Both adopted the Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region in 2018.

oBoth will work on setting up the Indo-Pacific Triangular Cooperation (IPTDC) Fund aimed at supporting climate and SDG focused innovations and Start-ups from third countries of the Indo-Pacific.

France

• About: It is a country located primarily in Western Europe.
• Borders with:  Belgium and Luxembourg to the north, 

oGermany to the north east, 

oSwitzerland to the east, 

oItaly and Monaco to the south east, 

oAndorra and Spain to the south, 

oand a maritime border with the United Kingdom to the north west.

• Extend from: Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea.
• It is the third-largest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.