France finally has an ally outside Europe. This is the hope expressed by French foreign policy analyst Vincent Hervé, who for many years headed the Diplomatic Press Association, in connection with the visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India from February 17 to 19.
Since taking office in 2017, Macron has made four visits to India. This time, the French leader came to sell 114 Rafale fighter jets to India. This is the largest contract in the history of the French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation. Experts estimate the value of the deal at EUR 33 billion.
The parties have not yet resolved all the issues, including the share of this batch of aircraft that will be manufactured in India and the scope of the technology transfer. “Some technologies will be transferred, but of course the core will be preserved,“ said Christophe Jaffrelot, an analyst at the Paris Institute of Political Sciences.
According to Air Force General Patrick Dutarre, who previously headed the “International Relations“ Directorate at the French Air Force Headquarters, the “deal of the century“ will closely link the military industries and operational centers of the two countries for many years to come.
India has also expressed interest in the naval version of the Rafale and has already purchased 26 fighters of this modification for its navy, which will be deployed on an aircraft carrier. At the talks, which continued in New Delhi after Mumbai, the countries agreed to elevate interstate cooperation to the level of “special global strategic partnership“. Macron invited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the G7 summit, which will be held in Evian from June 15 to 17. France currently holds the rotating presidency of the G7, while India holds the presidency of the 10-member BRICS group. Macron suggested that Modi hold a new Franco-Indian meeting on the eve of the Evian summit, specifically to discuss international issues.
Meanwhile, TV5 Monde called Ukraine a bone of contention in French-Indian relations. The editorial team noted that the Indian prime minister “did not condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine“. The channel also recalled that Russia is a traditional partner of India, which is under pressure from the United States to reduce imports of Russian oil to India.
“The partnership with France knows no boundaries; it extends from the depths of the ocean to the highest mountains," Modi assured his guest. Macron was welcomed with great pomp. After reporting that the French guest had been welcomed in Mumbai with huge murals depicting him and Modi, special correspondent Nathalie Segond of the French newspaper Le Monde nevertheless noted: "But make no mistake: in mid-January, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, while visiting Modi's home state of Gujarat, received a similar reception designed to highlight the close Indo-German ties."
France is keen to partner with the world's most populous country. During their visit, Macron and Modi remotely inaugurated an assembly line for Airbus H125 helicopters near Bangalore in southern India with the push of a button. According to Parisian sources, the French company Safran and its Indian partner Bharat Electronics have simultaneously signed an agreement to jointly produce AASM Hammer guided bombs in India.