India - France

• Intro: India and France are middle powers trying to reorient their foreign policies with respect to current flux in world order

• Context: The only western country to not criticize India post Pokhran tests and first western country to establish strategic partnership with India

• cooperation:
• 
• Vigorously backed India's decision wrt J&K at UNSC,
• France became the first country to have a Liaison Officer at the Indian Navy’s Information Fusion Centre (IFC-IOR).
• France also joined Indo pacific oceans initiative
• India France Australia trilateral naval exercises and ministerial dialogue affirm commitment for free open and inclusive Indo pacific and a rules based order in the region with ASEAN centrality
• It is also the first European country to launch an Indo pacific strategy 
• More than 1000 french establishments already present in India with a total turnover of $US 20 B and employing around 300000 persons
• India’s second largest arms supplier with one fifth of supply from 2016-20(SIPRI)
• France has been constantly supporting India for UNSC membership
• Defence- Jaguar, Rafale, Scorpene submarines
• Tensions in NATO and increasing Chinese influence in Europe with Italy, a G7 country joining BRI, France is hedging on India as a rising power.
• Navies of both the countries have carried out joint patrols off the coast of reunion islands.
• Both have already signed logistics support agreements between its navies
• France actualizing its “resident power” status in the Indo-Pacific has led to its emergence as India’s partner of choice in the Indian Ocean region
• plan to link Reunion and A&N islands as “sister islands.”
• rise of china is causing India and France to look beyond their neighborhood and look for external balancers.
• After the terror attacks in France, PM Modi had called Macron and assured him that India is with France in fight against terrorism,extremism and radicalism.
• France is also helping in the Smart cities mission- Nagpur, Chandigarh and Puducherry
• France has been a “brother in the west” for India.
• Helped India set up Sriharikota Centre for launch
• ISRO and CNES(French space agency) have been cooperating since 50 years with many of Indian satellites launched from French Guyana in South America.
• France is training Indian flight surgeons for Gaganyan mission
• Civil nuclear cooperation was signed in 2008.
• France is the 9th largest foreign investor in India.
• Indian companies like Tata, Mahindra have joint ventures with Dassault, Schneider electric in the defence and electronic sector.
• Varuna military exercises
• International solar alliance
• Recently France has also been made a member of IORA
• France has appointed an Ambassador for Indo pacific region to represent its interests
• Joint strategic vision for cooperation in Indian ocean region signed in 2018

• Conclusion:
  
  
  

• https://www.orfonline.org/research/lessons-2020-next-steps-france-india-partnership/
• https://www.9dashline.com/article/india-and-france-from-strategic-partners-to-a-strategic-alliance
• https://youtu.be/Y6hmx9LJ5sU