Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from July 13-15 to take forward cooperation with both countries in areas ranging from defence and security to energy.
Modi is visiting France at the invitation of Macron during July 13-14. Being the chief guest at the military parade is considered a signal honour, and the last foreign leader to be invited by France was former US president Donald Trump in 2017. A 269-member Indian tri-services contingent will participate in the parade and three French-origin Rafale combat jets of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will join a flypast.
Macron and Modi will hold formal talks, and the French president will host a state banquet and a private dinner for the prime minister, the external affairs ministry said.
Modi is also scheduled to meet his French counterpart Élisabeth Borne and the presidents of the Senate and the National Assembly. He will also interact with the Indian diaspora in France, CEOs of Indian and French companies, and prominent French personalities.
People familiar with the matter said several agreements to enhance defence cooperation between India and France are expected to be finalised during the visit, including those for acquiring 26 naval variants of the Rafale combat jet or the Rafale-Marine and three Scorpene-class submarines, and another for joint development of an engine for fighter jets with French aircraft equipment manufacturer Safran.
{{/usCountry}}People familiar with the matter said several agreements to enhance defence cooperation between India and France are expected to be finalised during the visit, including those for acquiring 26 naval variants of the Rafale combat jet or the Rafale-Marine and three Scorpene-class submarines, and another for joint development of an engine for fighter jets with French aircraft equipment manufacturer Safran.
{{/usCountry}}A roadmap for defence-industrial cooperation is also likely to be finalised during the visit, the people said.
The Indian Air Force currently operates 36 Rafale combat jets. The deal for acquiring these aircraft was finalised during Modi’s visit to France in 2015. The new Rafale M jets are expected to serve on the INS Vikrant aircraft carrier.
The last of six Scorpene-class submarine ordered earlier for the Indian Navy is expected to be commissioned next year, with the vessel currently undergoing trials. There is expected to be a follow-on order for three more Scorpene submarines that will be fitted with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems to allow them to remain submerged for longer.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the India-France strategic partnership, and the external affairs ministry said Modi’s visit will “provide an opportunity to chart the course of the partnership for the future across diverse sectors such as strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation”.
From France, Modi will travel to Abu Dhabi in the UAE on July 15, and hold talks with President of the UAE and ruler of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The India-UAE comprehensive strategic partnership has been “steadily strengthening” and Modi’s visit will be an “opportunity to identify ways to take this forward in various domains such as energy, education, healthcare, food security, fintech, defence and culture”, the ministry said.
The visit will also be an opportunity to discuss cooperation on global issues, particularly in the context of the UAE’s presidency of COP28 and India’s G20 presidency, in which the UAE is a guest country.