India and France have unveiled a wide-ranging package of agreements covering innovation, artificial intelligence, trade, education, space and strategic cooperation during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France…reports Asian Lite News Desk
India and France have announced 13 major outcomes spanning innovation, artificial intelligence (AI), trade, education, space and strategic cooperation during the first leg of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France, highlighting the expanding scope of the bilateral relationship.
The agreements and initiatives were unveiled following talks between Prime Minister Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron in Nice, where the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening the India-France Special Global Strategic Partnership.
Briefing reporters, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the outcomes included the establishment of a high-level mechanism aimed at doubling bilateral trade within five years, the creation of a dialogue on economic security, the adoption of the India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030, and the formation of a Joint India-France AI Working Group focused on artificial intelligence and global governance.
“The outcomes include the setting up of a high-level mechanism to double bilateral trade within five years; the establishment of a dialogue on economic security; the adoption of an Innovation Roadmap 2030; the signing of as many as 19 agreements between institutions in the innovation ecosystem of both countries; and the creation of an India-France joint working group focusing on artificial intelligence and its global governance,” Misri said.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the Innovation Roadmap 2030 is intended to strengthen cooperation in emerging technologies and deepen collaboration in research and innovation. The two countries also agreed to establish a Joint India-France AI Working Group to enhance cooperation on AI and to develop global governance frameworks for the technology.
The two sides expanded possibilities for the use of India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) in France, a move expected to strengthen digital connectivity between the countries.
Several agreements focused on education, skills development and innovation. These included a memorandum of understanding to establish a National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Aeronautics and Allied Sectors at NSTI Kanpur and the incubation of 10 additional Indian startups at Station F in Paris.
India and France also agreed to establish a Centre of Digital Sciences between the Department of Science and Technology of India and France’s INRIA. An ICCR India Chair on “AI, Innovation and Culture” will be created at Université Paris-Saclay.
In healthcare, the Indian Council of Medical Research and France’s Health Data Hub signed a Letter of Intent to deepen cooperation.
Economic cooperation featured prominently in the discussions. Building on the existing Economic and Financial Dialogue, both countries agreed to establish a high-level mechanism to double bilateral trade over the next five years. They also launched an Economic Security Dialogue to strengthen cooperation on economic resilience and supply chains.
The two countries announced a Declaration of Intent on Cooperation on Railway and High-speed Railway Development in India, signalling further collaboration in transport infrastructure.
In the strategic sphere, India and France signed a General Security Agreement on the Exchange and Protection of Classified Information. The Indian Space Research Organisation and France’s CNES also signed a Letter of Intent to expand cooperation in microgravity research and human space exploration.
The leaders reviewed progress under the Horizon 2047 Roadmap and discussed cooperation across defence, innovation, trade, space, civil nuclear energy and people-to-people ties. According to the MEA, they expressed satisfaction with the growth of defence collaboration and agreed to intensify cooperation with a focus on co-design, co-development and co-production of defence platforms and advanced technologies.
The two leaders also discussed expanding cooperation in human spaceflight, space situational awareness and civil nuclear energy. The MEA said both sides noted that India’s SHANTI Act had opened new avenues for collaboration, including in small and advanced modular reactors.
The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global developments, including West Asia and Ukraine, and underlined the importance of the India-France Special Global Strategic Partnership in advancing international peace, stability, and prosperity.
