New Delhi, June 14 (IANS). Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday agreed to create a high-level system to double trade between the two countries within five years.
They also shared ideas to strengthen and diversify bilateral ties in the areas of economic development, technology and talent mobility.
A joint statement issued after the meeting between the two leaders in Nice said, “The two leaders sought early implementation of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement, which provides a unique opportunity to increase mutual trade and investment. The leaders also discussed ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of SMEs, aviation and railways. They welcomed the agreement to set up a Center of Excellence for Skilling in Aeronautics in Kanpur. Welcomed the launch of a dialogue on economic security.” “The two leaders agreed to strengthen the supply chain, especially for essential minerals.”
The statement further said that the two leaders also discussed ways to enhance cooperation with the private sector in space and said that India’s ‘Peace Act’ creates new opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, including in small and advanced modular reactors.
Recognizing the important role of innovation and technology in India-France relations, both sides adopted ‘Innovation Roadmap 2030’ to provide long-term direction to the partnership. Additionally, it was agreed to create a joint India-France AI Working Group to enhance cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The joint inauguration of India Innovates in Nice and the upcoming participation of the Prime Minister in ‘VivaTech’ in Paris has further strengthened the partnership between India and France in areas like Deep-Tech, Semiconductor, Agri-Tech, Med-Tech, Renewable Energy, Defense and Space.
The statement said that 19 agreements have been signed between the institutions related to the continued expansion of UPI in France and the innovation ecosystem of the two countries. Prime Minister Modi and President Macron welcomed these achievements and described them as a step to strengthen India-France cooperation.
Both the leaders stressed the importance of enhancing people-to-people ties. In this regard, Prime Minister Modi thanked President Macron for rapidly starting visa-free transit for Indian citizens at French airports.
They also discussed ways to increase the flow of talent and students between the two countries and mutual recognition of educational qualifications.
PM Modi invited French universities to open campuses in India under the new education policy. The leaders also agreed to enhance cooperation between museums and cultural institutions, including the National Maritime Heritage Complex at Lothal, the statement said.
–IANS
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