Asserting that they believe in a free, open, inclusive and secure Indo-Pacific region, India and France on Friday vowed to advance the rule of international law and build a balanced and stable order in the strategic region, with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. The two countries released an ‘India-France Indo-Pacific Roadmap’ after talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron here.
The roadmap said that India and France are strategically located resident powers and key partners with vital stakes in the Indo-Pacific region. The roadmap comes amid growing Chinese assertiveness in the strategic region.
“The Indo-French partnership in the Indian Ocean has become an important focus of our bilateral relations. In 2018, India and France agreed on a ‘Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region’. “We are now ready to extend our joint efforts to the Pacific,” the two countries said in their document. India and France said they believe in a free, open, inclusive, secure and peaceful Indo-Pacific region.
“Our cooperation seeks to secure our own economic and security interests; ensure equal and free access to global commons; build partnerships of prosperity and sustainability in the region; advance the rule of international law; and, working with others in the region and beyond, build a balanced and stable order in the region, with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the two countries said. Prime Minister Modi’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and President Macron’s vision of security and cooperation outlined in the Indo-Pacific Strategy of France are very much aligned, the statement said.
“Our cooperation is comprehensive and covers defence, security, economic, connectivity, infrastructure, sustainability and human-centric development,” the two countries said. “Our bilateral cooperation advances our mutual security and supports peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. Our cooperation extends from the seabed to space. We will continue to deepen our exchanges, cooperate on situational and domain awareness, intensify maritime cooperation across the region such as the one we conduct in the South West Indian Ocean Region in liaison with partner countries in the region,” they said.
The two countries also vowed to increase militaries’ naval visits and develop defence industrial capabilities in India and jointly support the needs of other countries. “We will continue to develop our comprehensive cooperation including the French overseas territories of La Reunion, New Caledonia and French Polynesia and in coordination with other countries in the region and beyond,” they said.
India and France asserted that they will continue to work together to extend development cooperation to countries in the region, including in Africa, the Indian Ocean Region, South Asia, Southeast Asia and the Pacific.
“We will strengthen our plurilateral arrangements with Australia and UAE and build new ones in the region. We will strengthen our cooperation in regional forums such as the Indian Ocean Rim Association, Indian Ocean Naval Symposium, the Indian Ocean Commission, Djibouti Code of Conduct, the ADMM+ and ARF,” the two countries said. They also said that they will strengthen maritime security coordination through IFC-IOR in India, EMASoH in UAE and Atalanta, RCOC in Seychelles, RMIFC in Madagascar and ReCAAP in Singapore.
France also supports India’s willingness to join Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), the statement said. Both countries said they will work together to advance the objectives of the Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative which aims to address common challenges in the region through collaborative actions under its seven pillars.
Under France’s lead on the Maritime Resources pillar, the two countries said, they will work together to implement practical projects, in synergy with, and under, the various bilateral, regional and global initiatives by the two sides, for creating an ecosystem for the sustainable development of maritime resources and combatting activities like Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. India and France noted that they launched the International Solar Alliance and were committed to the deployment of renewable energies in the region.
They are also proposing that start-ups in the region benefit from the Solar X Challenge project, the statement said. India and France are continuing to implement the Indo-Pacific Parks Partnership and are supporting a mangrove conservation initiative aimed at the Pacific States in particular, it said.
The two sides said they would work on finalizing the India-France Indo-Pacific Triangular Development Cooperation Fund. ”Our partnership in the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure will help build a more resilient and sustainable future for the people of the region, especially in the small island states,” the two countries said.
Furthermore, France invited India to join the KIWA initiative, a multi-donor programme designed to strengthen resilience to climate change and the preservation of biodiversity in the Pacific through simplified financial support for concrete projects. India and France also vowed to set up the Indo-French Health Campus for the Indo-Pacific, with the aim of making it a regional magnet for research and academia. Building on the experience in the Indian Ocean, we may consider opening the Campus to Pacific Island Nationals, they said.
“We believe that the India-France partnership will be a crucial pillar of the inter-connected and intersecting arrangements in the Indo-Pacific region and indispensable for a peaceful and prosperous future for the Indo-Pacific region,” they said. Modi and Macron held wide-ranging talks and laid out a roadmap to strengthen ties in various sectors.
Earlier, at a joint press event, Modi said India and France have a special responsibility to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. ”As resident powers of the Indo-Pacific, India and France have special responsibility for peace and stability in the region,” he said.
Modi arrived here on Thursday on a two-day official visit. Earlier in the day, the prime minister graced the Bastille Day parade, which is part of the French National Day celebrations, as the Guest of Honour.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)
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