It is “not common” for a country’s foreign guest to attend the national day celebrations with troops and airplanes, but Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit will give the relations between the two countries a “significant push,” according to French Ambassador to Delhi Emmanuel Lenain in an interview.
On July 14, PM Modi will go to France as the primary guest for the Bastille Day Parade, commemorating an important anniversary of 75 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Ambassador Lenain discussed the Indian Air Force’s successful procurement of Rafale fighter fighters and expressed satisfaction with their deployment and performance. Even under the trying conditions of the Covid-19 epidemic, all 36 Rafale aircraft were delivered on schedule, he said.
The envoy underlined the prospect of further Rafale aircraft sales and the transfer of high-tech technologies, including jet engine technology, in relation to the future partnerships in defense and civilian nuclear energy.
The connection between France and India is one of trust and long-standing partnership, Ambassador Lenain said. “We feel extremely comfortable giving India access to the greatest technology. And we have been doing so for many years; India bought its first combat aircraft from Dassault in the 1950s. Given the excellent research abilities of Indian engineers, we believe that we have learnt to love one another and work as a team to create the greatest equipment to fully secure our country. As a result, we are now entering a period of actual co-development of the next generation of equipment.
The ambassador said that France is prepared to help India in its switch to renewable energy. Lenain confirmed France’s desire to share nuclear technology with India, pointing to the country’s own energy mix, where nuclear power accounts for more than 80% of electricity production. Lenain cited the low cost of electricity as a factor in our success, saying, “We are quite well off due of this. Therefore, we want to provide India access to this technology. It’s an expensive investment. Therefore, it is something that has to be fixed and discussed for a while. Yet again, we have reasonable optimism.
Currently, 10% of the solar energy produced by French enterprises comes from India’s total renewable energy potential. The French Ambassador said, “Pretty confident in the future, you will see even more push and development by French companies.”
Ambassador Lenain emphasized France’s agreement with India’s Indo-Pacific strategy on the subject of the Indo-Pacific area, which is fast emerging as a crucial economic and geopolitical arena for the world’s superpowers. We believe it is the all-encompassing approach to address the issues, and the best way to accomplish it is to be extremely consistent rather than escalating existing conflicts. In relation to freedom of navigation, the rule of law, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), and respect to international standards, he emphasized the common values of India and France.
Ambassador Lenain backed India for the Global South and the inclusion of the African Union in the G20 while commenting on India’s position as the G20 Chair and its efforts to push that inclusion.
Lenain said, “I think the global governance should give a clearer picture of the world we’re living in today,” in support of India’s participation in the UN Security Council. Since India should be a member of the UN Security Council, we have been vigorously promoting this at the UN Security Council.
In addition, Ambassador Lenain recognized the beneficial contributions made by the Indian diaspora to French society, highlighting the rising number of Indian students enrolled in French colleges as well as their positive attitudes and tenacity. “We are working very hard to get students to our institution. We now enroll close to 10,000 students yearly. We want to get 20,000 maybe in five years. They are a wonderful complement.