France Defence Space Agreement: According to persons acquainted with the situation, France and India have inked a bold and historic Defence Space Agreement that may lead to the launch of military satellites with both offensive and defensive capabilities.
On January 26, while French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi were attending the “At Home” Republic Day reception at Rashtrapati Bhawan, the agreement was quietly signed by France’s Defence Minister Sebastien Locornu and India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
The two nations have signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) on the Defence Space Partnership, which allows them to work together to strengthen defence capacities and operational capabilities for improved global situational awareness, the protection of communication and surveillance satellites, and increased transparency of the air, land, and sea fronts.
France Defence Space Agreement
The Memorandum of Understanding (LoI) allows India’s space agencies to work together to build and deploy military satellites in order to safeguard national security interests, even though the Modi administration has been mum about its defence space collaboration with France—India’s longest-standing civilian space partner. In the worst situation, India’s military satellites would not only watch enemy movements but also safeguard the country’s space assets.
Speaking with his Indian counterparts, President Macron stated that France will provide India with “no limits” in terms of defence assistance, including the design, development, production, and certification of new platforms that will be created especially to meet the needs of both nations.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a key intermediary stated, “France and India have decided to invest in a long-term relationship with the two countries on the same page politically on Houthis, and the Gaza war, with nuanced difference over the Ukraine war given that France is part of the EU.”
PM Modi rolled out the red carpet for French President Emmanuel Macron during his two-day visit to India, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar accompanied him everywhere. According to reports, President Macron was surprised to see how popular PM Modi was even after ten years in office during the roadshow in Jaipur.
Jet Engine Deal: India to deal with France for greater access to technology
Autonomous foreign policy
Due to the unstable global environment—which includes the Gaza War in an arc from Morocco to Iran and China’s hegemony over South East Asia—India and France have chosen to stand by one another on the basis of autonomous foreign policy and strategic autonomy. A five-year Schengen visa programme has also been launched by France to allow Indian youngsters to attend French colleges and benefit from the finest available talents.
France is willing to assist India in creating state-of-the-art defence platforms, including fighter aircraft engines, nuclear attack submarines, and underwater drones, all of which are produced domestically. The leaders’ defence industrial roadmap will not only help India become long-term self-sufficient, but it will also establish an industrial base in the nation. This would lessen India’s reliance on imports from overseas and generate jobs. Additionally, the two nations have agreed to produce in India and sell to other nations.
President Macron made it plain to the ministers of foreign policy, defence, and culture who accompanied him that there should be no barriers in the way of India-France relations and that India should be given unrestricted access to all of the best French technology available.
