Joint statement after India-France bilateral meeting

Prime Minister Narendra Modi issued a joint statement after his bilateral meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders' Summit in New Delhi on September 10, 2023.

These two politicians extensively discussed, assessed and reviewed the progress made in bilateral relations since their meeting held in Paris in July 2023.

• Along with this they exchanged their views on important international and regional developments.
• Prime Minister Modi made a historic visit to Paris on July 13-14, 2023, as the guest of honor on the occasion of French National Day on July 14, 2023. During this, the 25th anniversary of India-France strategic partnership was celebrated.

Stable multi-polar global order:

• The India-France partnership is based on deep trust, shared values, belief in sovereignty and strategic autonomy, strong commitment to international law and principles enshrined in the UN Charter, unwavering belief in multilateralism and mutual efforts for a stable multi-polar world.
• Recognizing the strength of India-France relations, both the leaders laid special emphasis on the need to enhance mutual cooperation to deal with regional and global challenges.
• Giving the message of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ i.e. ‘One Earth, One Family, One Future’, both the leaders reiterated their unwavering commitment towards doing collective good, so that the global order can be reshaped.

Indo-Pacific Roadmap:

• Reviewed the ‘Horizon 2047’ Roadmap, Indo-Pacific Roadmap, and other similar outcomes taking recent reference points during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit.
• The two leaders discussed the overall progress and next steps towards meeting new and ambitious goals for cooperation in the areas of defence, space, nuclear energy, digital public infrastructure, and climate change.

India-France partnership will happen in Africa:

• The two leaders took forward their discussions on India-France partnership in the Indo-Pacific region and Africa, including infrastructure, connectivity, energy, biodiversity, sustainability and industrial projects.

International Solar Alliance:

• The two leaders underlined their role as solution providers for the Indo-Pacific region through their respective cooperation under the framework of the International Solar Alliance and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure initiated by India and France.

India-France Space Cooperation:

• The two leaders recalled six decades of India-France space cooperation and reviewed the progress made since the holding of the first Strategic Space Dialogue in June 2023.

Civil Nuclear Relations:

• They underlined the strong India-France civil nuclear relations, the good progress made in the discussions for the Jaitapur Nuclear Plant Project and bilateral cooperation for partnership for co-development of SMR and AMR technologies as well as the upcoming signing of the Declaration of Special Intent. Welcomed the continued cooperation of both sides to enhance
• France reiterated its firm and unwavering support for India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
• The two leaders reiterated their commitment to strengthen defense cooperation through partnership in design, development, testing and manufacturing of advanced defense technologies and platforms and to increase production in India, including in other countries in the Indo-Pacific and beyond.
• In this context, he also called for early finalization of the 'Defence Industrial Roadmap'.

India-France Campus:

• With special emphasis on areas such as digital, science, technological innovation, education, culture, health and environmental cooperation, both leaders called for strengthening mutual institutional relations in these areas on the lines of the India-France Campus for the Indo-Pacific.
• In this context, they also reaffirmed their commitment to enhance cultural exchange and work together in the development of museums.

African Union (AU) welcomed in G20:

• India and France also welcomed the membership of the African Union (AU) in the G20 and looked forward to working together with the AU for Africa's progress, prosperity and development.