At the invitation of President of H.E. Mr. France Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi concluded a historical visit as the Guest of Honour at the National Day of the French Republic on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership. In January 1998, in a world of change and uncertainty, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and President Jacques Chirac elevated the relationship to a Strategic Partnership – one of the first for India with any country.
That decisive commitment was an affirmation of deep mutual trust reflected in five decades of a strong and steady partnership of exceptional endeavours from India’s independence in 1947.
When the two leaders met today, they agreed that ours is a relationship that has been resilient in the darkest storms and bold and ambitious in riding the high tides of opportunities. It is founded on shared values, belief in sovereignty and strategic autonomy, an unwavering commitment to international law and the UN Charter, an abiding faith in multilateralism and a common quest for a stable multipolar world.
PM Modi and President Macron took stock of the transformation and expansion of the relationship, over the past 25 years, in every area of bilateral cooperation and highlighted its evolution into a partnership of regional responsibilities and global importance.
Our political and diplomatic engagements are among our closest and most trusted. Our defence and security partnership is strong and extends from seabed to space. Our economic ties reinforce our prosperity and sovereignty and advance resilient supply chains. Both leaders agreed that promoting clean and low carbon energy, conserving biodiversity, protecting the ocean and combating pollution is a key pillar of cooperation and that digital, innovation and startup partnership is a new area of growth that builds on the deep convergence and strong complementarities between our two countries.
Our deepening ties in education, science and technology, culture, our burgeoning youth exchanges, and the highly accomplished and growing Diaspora, are bringing the relationship closer to the people and sowing the seeds of future partnerships.
In the turbulence and challenges of our times, this partnership means more than ever before – upholding the international law; advancing cohesion in a fragmenting world; reforming and reinvigorating the multilateral system; building a secure and peaceful Indo-Pacific region; addressing global challenges of climate change, clean energy, health, food security, poverty and development.
Today, we also look ahead to the next 25 years for our journey together to 2047 and beyond, with a bolder vision and higher ambitions, when we will celebrate the centenary of India’s Independence, the centenary of our diplomatic ties and half a century of our strategic partnership.
The next 25 years is a critical moment both for our two countries and for our partnership– to build a better future for our people and those with whom we share this planet. In order to set out their shared vision for this next phase of the India-France Strategic Partnership, both leaders adopted the "Horizon 2047 Roadmap on the 25th Anniversary of the Indo-French Strategic Partnership: towards a century of French-Indian relations” along with several other outcomes covering a wide range of areas. The Horizon 2047 Roadmap and List of Outcomes may be found here .
