Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Bastille Day that India-France relations are based on mutual trust and shared values. He said this partnership has become a force for global good in areas such as defence, technology, innovation and space.
New Delhi (India), July 14 (ANI): Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said India-France relations are an “enduring and time-tested partnership” based on mutual trust, strategic autonomy and shared values. He said this bilateral partnership spans defence, technology, innovation, space and culture and has evolved into a force for global good.
Addressing the National Day (Bastille Day) celebrations of France in New Delhi, Sitharaman extended good wishes on behalf of the government and people of India. He described Bastille Day as a celebration of the ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity, which have influenced democracies across the world, including India.
“The partnership between India and France is an enduring partnership built on the foundation of mutual trust, strategic autonomy and shared values,” he said. He further said that this relationship has its roots in the shared history dating back to India’s independence movement.
Remembered historical relations
Recalling the historical ties between the two countries, the Finance Minister pointed out that Swami Vivekananda had spent time in Paris in 1900, while Sri Aurobindo had taken refuge in French-ruled Puducherry for four decades after escaping colonial oppression. He said these events reflect our long-standing friendship and shared commitment to freedom and human dignity.
Strategic Partnership and ‘Horizon 2047’ Roadmap
Highlighting the growing strategic partnership, Sitharaman referred to the decision earlier this year by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron to elevate bilateral ties to a special global strategic partnership. He said that guided by the ‘Horizon 2047’ roadmap, both the countries are working together towards a secure, sovereign and sustainable future.
He also pointed out that 2026 is being celebrated as the India-France Year of Innovation, and during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to France last month, the two leaders jointly inaugurated ‘India Innovates 2026’. He said that India has now become a technology providing country from a technology adopting country. During this, he also recalled President Macron’s comment in which he had said that today the question is not whether India is innovating, but “who will innovate with India.”
Increasing cooperation in defence, space and economy
The Finance Minister said that bilateral cooperation has gone far beyond traditional areas. India’s defense partnership with France is now increasingly focused on co-design, co-development and co-production of advanced platforms, while the long-standing collaboration between ISRO and France’s CNES is deepening through climate monitoring missions and human spaceflight initiatives.
Sitharaman said India and France will focus on joint manufacturing, research and innovation while creating strong supply chains in critical minerals, semiconductors and advanced materials. He also said that progress on the proposed India-EU Free Trade Agreement will further strengthen economic ties and create new opportunities for businesses, researchers and investors from both the countries. (ANI)
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