These opening remarks were delivered by the Foreign Secretary, Dr. Harsh Vardhan Shringla at the India-France Track 1.5 Dialogue, co-hosted by Gateway House, Mumbai and Institut français des relations internationals (Ifri), Paris, on 16 March 2022.
Mumbai, 16 March 2022 – H.E. Mr. François Delattre, Secretary-General, Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Lenain, Ambassador of France to India, Shri Jawed Ashraf, Ambassador of India to France & Monaco, Ambassador Rajiv Bhatia, Distinguished Fellow, Gateway House, Ladies and gentlemen, Distinguished participants, Namaskar and bonjour. It is a pleasure for me to address you today at the India-France Track 1.5 Dialogue. I am happy to see the collaboration between two of the most active institutions in the global think-tank space – Gateway House and IFRI.
I have had the opportunity to address a gathering at IFRI during my visit to Paris in October 2020. Recently, External Affairs Minister, Dr. S. Jaishankar, spoke at IFRI when he was in Paris for the EU Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. We have also been regularly collaborating with the Gateway House and we look forward to continuing our engagement with them.
As we speak today, the global strategic outlook appears complicated. The post World War II security architecture that had largely preserved peace in Europe over the last several decades is now found to be wanting. This scenario calls for mature partnerships to steady the course. It is, therefore, only apt that India and France, which have always sought, and succeeded, in maintaining strategic autonomy, are at the forefront of the call for peace, dialogue and diplomacy. Prime Minister Modi and President Macron are among the few leaders who have had regular contact with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine and continue to maintain an open channel of communication with them.
India and France have been longstanding friends and strategic partners. As resident powers of the Indo-Pacific, they have a shared understanding of the challenges, opportunities and stakes in the region. The bilateral relationship has been dominated by cooperation in traditional fields such as defence and security, science and technology, space and cultural contact. 21st century problems, however, require 21st century solutions. Both countries understand this very well, which is why they are rapidly expanding their cooperation to non-traditional areas, such as, digital, cybersecurity, green energy and sustainable development.
The world had to face its biggest non-traditional threat in decades in the form of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, India and France worked in coordination and collaboration, helping each other out in difficult times, while also contributing to global efforts to fight the pandemic, whether in the form of financial assistance or through the supply of life saving drugs, especially vaccines.
France is currently President of the EU Council and is playing a leadership role in steering Europe through the current crisis while also strengthening Europe’s focus on the Indo-Pacific. In this context, we appreciate the French initiative of organising the EU Ministerial Forum for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific last month. This was a unique opportunity for countries of the European Union and the Indo-Pacific to chart out a common vision and strategy for cooperation. We also hope to see the resumption of negotiations of the India-EU FTA under French Presidency of the EU Council.
Today’s deliberations on the theme of “Innovation, Sustainability and Multilateral Cooperation” come at an opportune moment when India and France are making rapid strides in key traditional and non-traditional strategic areas. The first of these is digital and cybersecurity. In August 2019, India and France adopted a Roadmap on Cybersecurity and Digital Technology, which lays down our common vision for cooperation in a domain which we see as foundational for the 21st century. We have a robust cyber dialogue where we discuss bilateral and multilateral cooperation on digital and cyber issues.
On practical aspects too, we have excellent cooperation as can be seen in the successful development of India’s fastest supercomputer “Param-Siddhi-AI” under the National Supercomputing Mission (NSM) by India’s Centre for Development of Advanced Computing or C-DAC and the French company Atos. There is also an increasing realisation that the 5G networks that are coming up in the two countries have to be safe and secure. Both India and France are committed to finding solutions to risks associated with 5G technology.
Similarly, India and France have been early movers on clean energy with a long standing cooperation in civilian nuclear power and the Jaitapur Project where we are determined to make progress. Both countries have similar views on the importance of nuclear power to address the challenge of climate change as a long-term, clean source of energy. Further, the maturity of our energy cooperation and multilateral partnership is reflected in our co-founding of the International Solar Alliance, which aims to establish solar energy as a preferred solution for governments to achieve energy transition, particularly in the most vulnerable parts of the world.
Another emerging area of energy cooperation for our two countries is Green Hydrogen. France is among the key European players in this area having announced a green hydrogen strategy and committed to investing €7.2 billion up to 2030 to deploy this strategy. France is also in the forefront of Green Hydrogen application and since 2019 has started introducing it in its urban and heavy mobility systems.
India too has launched an ambitious National Hydrogen Mission, which will contribute to the five key climate targets or the Panchamrit that our Prime Minister announced at the COP26 Summit last year. The Government of India has been supporting a broad based Research, Development and Demonstration programme on Hydrogen Energy and Fuel. Projects are supported in industrial, academic and research institutions to address challenges in production of hydrogen from renewable energy sources, its safe and efficient storage and its utilisation for energy in transport applications through combustion or fuel cells. With respect to transportation, major work has been supported at the Banaras Hindu University, IIT Delhi and Mahindra & Mahindra. In fact, two hydrogen refuelling stations have also been set up, one each at the Indian Oil R&D Centre in Faridabad and at the National Institute of Solar Energy in Gurugram.
These are only a few examples of the work that is ongoing and of the potential that remains to be exploited in the India-France digital and energy partnership story. As we commit to closer cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, we are also finding new grounds to cover. For instance with the adoption of the ‘Roadmap on Blue Economy and Ocean Governance’, India and France will facilitate cooperation between economic players in the blue economy space, cooperation on ocean science and find ways to work together on sustainable maritime infrastructure. In the multilateral sphere, India and France have made a call for a legally binding Treaty on Protecting Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ), through the High Ambition Coalition. We have also jointly launched an Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership that aims to enable the exchange of best practices and knowledge between park managers. Both countries are also committed to making joint efforts to combat Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing in the Indo-Pacific. This area of cooperation acquired greater momentum last year when France adopted the Maritime Resources pillar of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative. India will continue to support France in this regard.
There are infinite possibilities in the India-France Strategic Partnership as we continue to push the boundaries to be a force for global good. As I said earlier, 21st century problems require 21st century solutions. The India-France relationship is truly a partnership for the 21st century. I look forward to the outcomes of today’s Track 1.5 Dialogue. I am sure that the discussions today will give us unique ideas and insights to help find new and creative ways to deepen the India-France relationship.
Thank you.
This speech was originally published by the Ministry of External Affairs.