France and India: A new age cooperation

India and France have agreed to intensify maritime cooperation in the IndoPacific and increase their militariesrsquo naval visits as they strive to build a balanced and stable order in the strategically important region with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrityPrime Minister Narendra Modirsquos vision of SAGAR Security and Growth for All in the Region and President Emmanuel Macronrsquos vision of security and cooperation outlined in the IndoPacific Strategy of France are very much aligned stated the ldquoIndiaFrance IndoPacific Roadmaprdquo released after the bilateral talks between the two leaders here on FridayldquoWe believe that the IndiaFrance partnership will be a crucial pillar of the interconnected and intersecting arrangements in the IndoPacific region and indispensable for a peaceful and prosperous future for the IndoPacific regionrdquo said PM Modi amidst an assertive China flexing its muscle in the regionFrance has a sizable presence in the IndoPacific region in territories such as Reunion Island New Caledonia and French Polynesia which are home to nearly 15 million people The territories also serve as a military base for France in the region India has been participating in coordinated surveillance missions using its P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft with the French Navy at Reunion IslandldquoAs resident powers of the IndoPacific India and France have special responsibility for peace and stability in the regionrdquo he said ldquoWe welcome the decision by France to lead the Maritime Resource Pillar in Indiarsquos IndoPacific Ocean Initiativerdquo the Prime Minister saidldquoWe will continue to deepen our exchanges cooperate on situational and domain awareness intensify maritime cooperation across the region such as the one we conduct in the South West Indian Ocean Region in liaison with partner countries in the regionrdquo they said The two countries also vowed to increase their militariesrsquo naval visits and develop defence industrial capabilities in India and jointly support the needs of other countriesldquoWe will continue to develop our comprehensive cooperation including the French overseas territories of La Reunion New Caledonia and French Polynesia and in coordination with other countries in the region and beyondrdquo they said India and France asserted that they will continue to work together to extend development cooperation to countries in the region including in Africa the Indian Ocean Region South Asia Southeast Asia and the PacificldquoWe will strengthen our plurilateral arrangement with Australia and the UAE and build new ones in the region We will strengthen our cooperation in regional forums such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association Indian Ocean Naval Symposium the Indian Ocean Commission Djibouti Code of Conduct the ADMM and ARFrdquo the two countries saidThey also said that they will strengthen maritime security coordination through IFCIOR in India EMASoH in UAE and Atalanta RCOC in Seychelles RMIFC in Madagascar and ReCAAP in Singapore The two countries said they will work together to implement practical projects India and France also vowed to set up the IndoFrench Health Campus for the IndoPacific with the aim of making it a regional magnet for research and academiaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever