Indo-French roadmap to enhance engagement in Indo-Pacific

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, February 21

India and France on Sunday resolved to intensify ties in the maritime domain by adopting a joint roadmap on the ‘Blue Economy and Ocean Governance’ during the first day of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar’s visit to Paris following talks with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian.

The French presidency of the EU in the first half of 2022 is also expected to give further shape to EU’s engagement with India in the Indo-Pacific region, including in security, connectivity and economic development.

With territories retained since colonial time in the Indo-Pacific, France is a major player and has been seeking to step up its activities bilaterally with regional maritime powers as well as through the EU.

The roadmap on the Blue Economy and Ocean Governance supplements the several rounds of interaction on the security side between NSA Ajit Doval and the French President’s Diplomatic Advisor Emmanuel Bonne to pursue new initiatives in maritime, space and cyber domains, and defence industrialisation.

The roadmap “aims to enhance partnership in the field of blue economy by way of institutional, economic, infrastructural and scientific cooperation,’’ said an MEA news release.

Jaishankar and Le Drian also discussed key regional and global issues, particularly the India-EU relationship and the priorities of the French Presidency of the EU Council that began on January 1, 2022. The two ministers also exchanged perspectives on the situation in Afghanistan, JCPOA and the evolving situation in Ukraine, said the release.

The marquee event during Jaishankar’s visit is the EU Ministerial Forum on Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific on Wednesday where he will participate along with several other ministers from Indo-Pacific and EU countries.

The two ministers agreed to jointly launch the Indo-French call for an ‘Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership’ during the EU Forum.

Jaishankar reached France after concluding his visit to Germany where he attended the Munich Security Conference.