NEW DELHI: French foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian is to visit India this week for talks with his counterpart S Jaishankar on strengthening ties on a range of issues including trade, defence, climate, migration and mobility, education and health in a post-covid world.
Le Drian’s visit is the third high level visit from France to India this year.
A statement from the Indian foreign ministry on Monday said Le Drian will be in New Delhi from 13-15 April and will also meet with environment minister Prakash Javadekar.
“India and France enjoy a strategic partnership since 1998 which has been marked by regular high level exchanges and growing cooperation in diverse areas,” the statement said.
A separate statement from the French embassy in New Delhi said the Indo-Pacific statement would be a topic of discussion during Le Drian’s visit to New Delhi.
On Tuesday, Le Drian will meet Jaishankar for talks that will “cover all aspects of the bilateral strategic partnership, joint initiatives in the IndoPacific, regional and global issues of common interest, and cooperation in the United Nations Security Council, where India currently sits as an elected member,” the statement said.
Le Drian will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it said.
To boost people to people ties and attract more Indian students to France, Le Drian will appoint 15 alumni ambassadors (9 women and 6 men) from those who have pursued studies in the fields of science, management, art, culinary and social sciences in France.
On Wednesday, Le Drian and Javadekar “will take part in a panel discussion at the French Embassy on boosting global action against climate change in view of COP26,” the French statement said referring to the 26 Conference of Parties climate change meet organized in the UK later this year. French Ambassador for Climate, Stéphane Crouzat will also be present on the occasion.
Also on Wednesday, Le Drian will attend the Raisina Dialogue and participate in a joint discussion with Jaishankar and Australian foreign minister Marise Payne.
On Thursday Le Drian will travel to Bengaluru, “where he will highlight Indo-French cooperation on health and biological sciences at the Bangalore Life Sciences Cluster (BLiSc),” the French statement said.
The French foreign minister will also visit the Indian Space Research Organisation’s Human Space Flight Centre “at a time when the decades-long Indo-French space cooperation is embarking on new initiatives, and meet investors and CEOs of major Indian business groups to promote France as an attractive investment destination,” it said.
Le Drian will end his India visit with a meeting with the French Tech Community Bengaluru “to promote cooperation between the two countries in the field of technological innovation and the development of ties between Indian and French startups,” it added.
Source: The Mint
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