French Army Chief General Pierre Schill's visit to India

French Army Chief of Army Staff General Pierre Schill is on a visit to India from 27 to 29 February 2024. General Schill began his visit with an emotional wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial on 27 February 2024.

• At the war memorial, the French General paid tribute to the martyred heroes of the Indian Armed Forces who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.

Guard of Honor to General Schill:

• A ceremonial guard of honor was presented to the Chief of Army Staff of the French Army at the South Block Lawns in New Delhi.

Main events of General Schill's visit to India:

• After this, General Pierre Schill met Army Chief General Manoj Pande and other senior military officers of the armed forces.
• General Schill exchanged views and had constructive discussions on various contemporary issues including strengthening bilateral cooperation between the two armies.
• During the visit, General Schill held talks with representatives of the defence industry. General Schill also observed the Pinaka firing demonstration in Rajasthan.
• General Schill will also visit Sapta Shakti Command in Jaipur and interact with senior military commanders.
• General Schill will address officers at the prestigious National Defence College (NDC) on 29 February 2024.

Strengthening defense relations between India and France:

• General Pierre's visit emphasizes joint commitment to enhance strategic cooperation in defence, security & technology.
• These bilateral visits and joint exercises symbolize enduring military cooperation between the two nations. Such visits reinforce their dedication to promoting regional stability and international security.

Major areas of cooperation between India and France:

• Presently India & France are cooperating in various fields including defence sector and cooperation on international platforms. Prominent among these include:

Cooperation in Defence Sector:

• France has emerged as a major defence partner for India. France has been the second largest defence supplier to India in 2017-2021.
• France is developing French Scorpene conventional submarines for the Indian Navy. (It is being made in India under the Technology Transfer Agreement of 2005.)
• Supply of 36 Rafale fighter jets to the Indian Air Force.
• India's Tata Group has signed an agreement with France's Airbus to manufacture C-295 strategic transport aircraft in Vadodara, Gujarat.
• Major military equipment imported from India and France includes Rafale and Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft and Scorpene submarines.

Regularly conducted joint military exercises:

• India and France have been regularly conducting triforce joint exercises, the major ones being:
  • Varun (Navy)
  • Garuda (Air Force)
  • Shakti (Army)

Economic cooperation between India and France:

• Bilateral trade between India and France has reached a new peak of US$ 13.4 billion in 2022-23.
• Exports from India have crossed US$ 7 billion.
• France is the 11th largest foreign investor in India. France's cumulative investment in India from April 2000 to December 2022 is US$10.5 billion.
• There are over 1,000 French establishments in India. Their total turnover is approximately US$20 billion and they employ approximately 300,000 people.

Cooperation in Energy and Climate Sector:

• The relationship between the two is clearly defined through cooperation in the field of renewable energy to protect against climate change.
• French support played an important role in India getting exemption from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in 2008 to restart international cooperation in civil nuclear energy.
• France supports India's entry into NSG.
• Both countries have played an important role in the establishment of the International Solar Alliance.

Cooperation in the field of science and technology:

• Both the countries are sharing important partnerships in the field of science and technology.
• France's CNES and India's ISRO partnership has been strengthened with a joint vision for space cooperation in 2018.
• Both countries are cooperating on joint Earth observation mission Trishna, joint Mars mission and space debris removal.
• Both the countries together are building the world's largest nuclear park in Jaitapur, Maharashtra.
• France has become the first European country to accept the UPI payment system.

Over the past few years, India-France relations have attracted the attention of all major countries from the US to Germany to Russia to China. French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India as the Republic Day 2024 chief guest has deepened the friendship between both nations