PM Modi's France visit begins today, defence deals on table

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New Delhi, July 12

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will depart on Thursday morning for visits to France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The interactions in France with the top leadership, including President Emmanuel Macron, will be high on both symbolism and substance, said Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra while briefing the media here on Wednesday.

PM Modi will be the guest of honour at France’s Bastille Day celebrations on July 14. A tri-services contingent from India will participate in the Bastille Day parade, akin to the Republic Day parade. Three IAF aircraft will also join the flypast on the occasion. Foreign leaders being invited as guest of honour for Bastille Day is not common. Even rarer is having foreign marching contingents and aircraft participate in it, said sources. The PM’s itinerary will include multiple meetings with the top French leadership. He will attend a joint meeting with the French President and CEOs from both countries. Also, Macron will host a state banquet in his honour at the iconic Louvre Museum on Bastille Day.

Reorient security partnership

The two sides will try to reorient their security partnership in line with the Make-in-India and Atmanirbhar Bharat objectives. —Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Foreign Secy

Amid strong indications that both sides are set to ink a couple of military deals in the areas of submarines and aviation, PM Modi and Macron will engage in a wide spectrum of areas. These include security, space, civil nuclear domain, technology, counter-terrorism, cyber security, climate change, renewable energy, said the Foreign Secretary. The two sides would try to reorient their security partnership in line with the Make-in-India and Atmanirbhar Bharat objectives, added Kwatra.They will also seek to reorient their cooperation in the space sector by taking into account the considerable evolution in the area globally. “We are beginning to touch on some new areas of space economies,’’ said the Foreign Secretary. However, there are indications there will be no closure on the setting up of six French nuclear plants at Jaitapur in Maharashtra. Besides the pending issues of liability in case of a nuclear accident and the final cost of electricity, the two sides are yet to agree on techno-commercial arrangements and engineering elements.

The strong focus on trade and economy will continue. At their joint interaction with CEOs, PM Modi and Macron would provide a clear direction to look at new elements, said Kwatra.

The PM will reach the UAE on July 15 and meet President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. There has been a qualitative enhancement in the substance of engagements in a whole range of areas since the signing of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement with the UAE last year, said Kwatra. This is reflected in trade and investment as well as in convergence on trade and international issues. The UAE is a special invitee to the G20 under India’s presidentship and will host the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 28) towards the end of the year.

Set to ink deals

PM Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron will engage in a wide spectrum of areas. These include security, space, civil nuclear domain, technology, counter-terrorism, cyber security, climate change, renewable energy, said the Foreign Secretary.