India and France convened Foreign Office Consultations in Paris on Monday, where they reached an agreement to enhance their bilateral partnership in high-end technology sectors. The two countries conducted a thorough assessment of the advancements made in various aspects of their cooperation, as detailed in the India-France Horizon 2047 Roadmap.
The discussions during the meeting covered significant areas of collaboration, including defense, civil nuclear energy, space, cyber and digital technologies, Artificial Intelligence (AI), institutional dialogue frameworks, and initiatives aimed at promoting people-to-people interactions and cultural connections, as reported by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
According to the press release from the MEA, both nations committed to broadening their partnership in high-end technology sectors. The dialogue also addressed global and regional matters, such as environmental cooperation, climate change, health, collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region, trilateral dialogues, joint development projects in third countries, and ongoing international challenges, including the situations in the Middle East and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
The consultations were co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Anne-Marie Descotes, Secretary General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. They also led the meeting of the India-France Special Task Force on Civil Nuclear Energy.
Vikram Misri noted that extensive discussions were held on a wide range of bilateral relations, focusing on areas such as defense, civil nuclear energy, AI, science and technology, people-to-people exchanges, and high-level interactions between the two nations. Additionally, Foreign Secretary Misri met with France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noel Barrot, and Emmanuel Bonne, the Diplomatic Advisor to the French President.
