INDO-FRENCH TIES

• The visit to New Delhi by French President Francois Hollande, for the first time to any Asian capital after he came to power in May last year, was a significant development.
• It came after India supported the French military action in Mali to restore the government’s authority.
• The deals for the Rafale aircraft and the Maitri surface-to-air missiles, for which negotiations have been completed, will mark a new beginning in Indo-French relations as these two defence items will be co-produced in India.
• The two countries have decided to establish an annual dialogue between their Finance Ministers to boost bilateral economic relationship.
• On Afghanistan, the two sides expressed commitment to the key principles for a peaceful inter-afghan dialogue: acceptance of the Afghan Constitution, renunciation to violence and breaking links with terrorism.
• France is among the countries which agreed to go in for nuclear trade with India soon after the India-US civilian nuclear deal
• The French are committed to building six next generation European pressurized reactors at Jaitapur.
• France has always been a supporter of India’s case of becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security council.