- Long association becoming stronger
By Sangeeta Saxena
Le Bourget. 22 June 2019. It is not just a geo-political relationship nor a buyer manufacturer tie. The industrial dimension of the Indo- France strategic partnership in the aeronautical and defence sectors is so strong that almost 60 French aeronautical companies already have physical offices or facilities in India and the number is increasing every month. Airbus, Dassault Aviation, Thales, Safran and MBDA, lead a host of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The French aviation and defence industries have chosen India and will invest in this goal, is the mantra for this ever deepening relationship between the two nations.
“As you probably know, France is India’s oldest strategic partner and a significant one for defence and aerospace equipment, not just as a supplier but as a true partner. As a matter of fact, Make-in-India has been a reality for the French industry for many years, particularly for defence equipment such as helicopters, missiles, submarines, aircraft engines and others. Today our strategic partnership is the strongest and closest we have in the Asia-Pacific region.In 1998, India and France entered into a ‘Strategic Partnership’ where Defence, Space and Civil nuclear cooperation constitute the three principal pillars of this Strategic Partnership,” reiterated French Ambassador in India, M. Alexandre Ziegler, at the seminar organised by GIFAS and SIDM at Le Bourget during the airshow.
In a boost to industrial defence ties, GIFAS, the French Aerospace Industries Association, a driving force behind Indo-French cooperation, had a major industrial mission to India in April 2018. Following the visit of the delegation which encompassed more than 350 B2B interactions, a MoU between GIFAS and SIDM (Society of Indian Defence Manufacturers) was signed to promote partnership and cooperation. Over the years, the two countries have decided to deepen their bilateral strategic partnership by signing various new agreements such as the Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region, the agreement for the provision of reciprocal logistics support between the Armed Forces and the annual defence dialogue at the Ministerial level.
“As you probably know, France is India’s oldest strategic partner and a significant one for defence and aerospace equipment, not just as a supplier but as a true partner. As a matter of fact, Make-in-India has been a reality for the French industry for many years, particularly for defence equipment such as helicopters, missiles, submarines, aircraft engines and others. Our relations in this area date back to India’s Independence and are being continuously strengthened. Today our strategic partnership is the strongest and closest we have in the Asia-Pacific region,” he added.
This strategic partnership was enhanced even further by the State visit to India of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, in March last year. This visit was a great success in many respects and one of the areas of convergence of views between the two leaders was the necessity to strengthen manufacturing partnership in the industrial sector, particularly, in aerospace and defence, as clearly stated in their Joint Statement.
“This political support at the highest level of both States provided the industries of both countries the best possible high-level framework for deepening their industrial relations in defence as well as the civilian aerospace sectors. You can count on our full political support for this and we are looking forward to further exchanges with the new Indian government in this respect. No later than last week, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, French minister of state for Europe and Foreign Affairs, was in Delhi to discuss the next possible steps in our strategic partnership with Mr Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, and other dignitaries of the Indian government. Other high level visits in India or in France will indeed occur in the weeks and months to come. Most importantly, Prime Minister Modi has accepted an invitation from President Macron to attend the outreach session of G7 Summit in France as a special invitee at the end of August. The event will of course also include a bilateral Indo-French component,” informed the Ambassador.
France is India’s oldest strategic partner and a significant one for defence and aerospace equipment, not just as a supplier but as a true partner. “ As a matter of fact, Make-in-India has been a reality for the French industry for many years, particularly for defence equipment such as helicopters, missiles, submarines, aircraft engines and others. The relations in this area date back to India’s Independence and are being continuously strengthened. Today our strategic partnership is the strongest and closest we have in the Asia-Pacific region,” he concluded.
In taking this momentum forward both SIDM and GIFAS will engage with relevant stakeholders to enhance defence cooperation between the respective industries. The objective of the meeting at the show is to further strengthen Indo-French defence business relations where Indian Industry can leverage French technological prowess and French Industry can contribute to the ‘Make in India’ initiative.
