India, France upgrade ties, launch Year of Innovation

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday expanded bilateral ties, announcing in Mumbai more than 20 agreements spanning defence, skilling, technology, trade and health.

President Macron is on a three-day visit to India from February 17 to 19 to participate in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi and to hold high-level discussions in India. His visit marks the fourth official trip to India during his presidency.

Addressing a joint press conference, PM Modi described France as one of India’s oldest and most trusted strategic partners. “Today the world is going through a period of uncertainty. In such an environment, the India-France partnership is a force for global stability,” he said. The PM announced that the two nations have decided to elevate their engagement to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership,” underscoring what he termed depth and energy in bilateral cooperation.

A key highlight of the talks was the launch of the India-France Year of Innovation, aimed at fostering technology collaborations and strengthening people-to-people ties. As part of this vision, the leaders announced the establishment of the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health, the Indo-French Centre for Digital Science and Technology, and a National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Aeronautics.  

These platforms are expected to bolster joint research, digital transformation and advanced manufacturing capabilities.In a major defence-industrial boost, the two leaders virtually inaugurated the Final Assembly Line for the H125 helicopter in Karnataka, a joint venture between Airbus and Tata Advanced Systems. Modi said the helicopter - described as the only one in the world capable of landing at the altitude of Mount Everest - would be manufactured in India and exported globally, reinforcing the ‘Make in India’ initiative.

The meeting comes close on the heels of India clearing a proposal to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets from France under a Government-to-Government framework, marking one of the largest defence acquisition programmes in recent years. Defence cooperation featured prominently in the discussions.