An Indo-France bilateral bond

On Ukraine, defence, and security, Modi’s visit to France set the stage for greater cooperation

The shortest leg of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s three-nation tour of Europe – a stopover in Paris for a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday – was one of the most substantive parts of the visit. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Mr Macron’s nailbiter of a win in the French presidential election last month, and they outlined a more ambitious agenda for the next stage of the bilateral strategic partnership, including joint development of defence equipment, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and climate transition. France is one of India’s closest strategic partners on the global stage and has provided robust backing for India’s global efforts to counter terrorism and tackle terror financing, especially at bodies such as the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), while retaining its position as a supplier of frontline combat jets and submarines. It has also been a key partner in areas such as space, civil nuclear technology and digitalisation, and the two countries jointly launched the International Solar Alliance in 2015.

Both leaders called for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine in order to promote dialogue. 

Both leaders called for an immediate end to the war in Ukraine in order to promote dialogue. They also agreed to step up coordination to cope with the global implications of the conflict. They have done their bit in recent weeks to end the war – Mr Modi suggested direct talks between the Russian and Ukrainian presidents while Mr Macron has had numerous phone calls with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to create conditions for a negotiated solution. And unlike other European countries that aspire to a role in the Indo-Pacific, France is an actual Indo-Pacific nation with 1.5 million French citizens on island territories and nine million sq km of its exclusive economic zones in the region.

Mr Modi’s meeting with Mr Macron was thus an opportunity for the two leaders to take stock of the considerable work being done by the two countries and to set the stage for closer cooperation in the next stage of their strategic partnership, ranging from maritime security cooperation in the Indian Ocean to defence collaboration and further steps to cope with the unprecedented challenges being faced by Europe’s long-standing security architecture. Probably more than most other nations, India and France are better placed to take on a greater role in efforts to end the Ukraine crisis and to work for a more multilateral world order.