New Delhi-Paris ties in focus as France’s Macron begins India visit

Six Indian nationals will be part of a 95-member French Foreign Legion contingent that is set to march down Kartvaya Path for India’s Republic Day parade on Friday.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who is the chief guest at this year’s parade, will land in Jaipur, Rajasthan, on Thursday.

Macron will visit Amer Fort, a UNESCO World Heritage site, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, followed by a tour of Tripolia Gate and the Pink City.

The French president is expected to be accompanied by a high-profile delegation that includes ministers, top company executives and people from the scientific and cultural sectors in France.

A road show is also being planned before both leaders leave for the national capital for Republic Day celebrations.

A 33-member French band will take part in the parade in New Delhi, along with the French Foreign Legion. The Legion is a unique military unit within the French Army established in 1831 that accepts foreign nationals into its ranks. Over the years, it has participated in many of France’s military campaigns and conflicts.

Horizon 2047 Roadmap

Boosting of defense ties is likely to be the focal point of the visit. During the fly-past, France will parade a multirole tanker transport aircraft, along with two of its own Rafale fighter jets. The French jets will join Indian Air Force aircraft, including Indian Rafales that have been inducted over the years.

“Defense cooperation is a long-standing pillar of our strategic partnership. France is committed to being India’s top partner in developing its strategic autonomy and working together on the technologies and capabilities of the future,” Thierry Mathou, the French envoy to India, said in an interview to The Week, ahead of Macron’s visit.

Modi and Macron have met six times in the past year, including at the group of 20, or G20, summit in New Delhi.

While Modi had visited France for the Bastille Day celebrations in July, Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu conducted the fifth annual Indo-French Defense Dialogue in Paris in October.

“President Macron’s visit will seal the ambitious renewal of the India-France strategic partnership that the two leaders decided on 14 July in Paris and give further impetus to our common goals under the three pillars of the Horizon 2047 Roadmap―partnership for security and sovereignty, partnership for the planet, and partnership for the people,” Mathou said.

“The operational cooperation between our armed forces is outstanding, with regular joint army, navy and air exercises that raise our level of interoperability and demonstrate our capacity to act together as net security providers in the Indo-Pacific,” Mathou said.

India visit a face-lift for Macron?

Meanwhile, Macron, who is into his second term in office, lacks a parliamentary majority amid mass strikes against a pensions reform and differences within his own ranks over an immigration bill.

He recently made a small shift to the right in his cabinet, which comes just before the European elections due in June, where the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) might win over his Renaissance party.

“For Macron, struggling to reinvent his presidency, the enthusiastic reception in India would be a relief. The royal Rajputana welcome in Jaipur to Macron should look good back in France,” C. Raja Mohan wrote in The Indian Express on Wednesday.

“President Macron’s visit will seal the ambitious renewal of the India-France strategic partnership that the two leaders decided on 14 July in Paris and give further impetus to our common goals under the three pillars of the Horizon 2047 Roadmap―partnership for security and sovereignty, partnership for the planet, and partnership for the people,” Mathou said.

Trade focus

Bilateral trade between both nations has been consistent, ranging between $11-13 billion over the past five years, reaching over $13 billion in FY 2022-23 for the first time.

Indian exports to France have grown from $5.23 billion in 2018-19 to $7.61 billion in 2022-23, marking an average growth of 45.5% despite the pandemic’s impact.

Conversely, India’s imports from France have declined from $6.66 billion in 2018-19 to $5.77 billion in 2022-23, tilting the trade balance in India’s favor, data showed.

A series of high-profile visits in the commercial and economic fields reflects the growing interest of both the governments in expanding trade between the two countries.

France considers India an important market for its products and is looking to increase the number of joint ventures and encouraging investments in and from India. Both countries are also moving to jointly develop technologies and integrate existing technologies.

The process of enabling Unified Payment Interface is ongoing.

Several Indian companies have opened their innovation centers in France for joint technology development, including Tata Technology and L&T Tech Service.

French technologies especially in renewables, sustainable manufacturing and urban infrastructure development are being integrated in India.