ON May 5, the Ministry of External Affairs(MEA) said in a statement that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the Guest of Honour for this year’s Bastille Day Parade. The PM is travelling to Paris at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Bastille Day is celebrated as the National Day of France on July 14. The historical context is that the people of Paris– In 1789—took all the weapons from the royal armoury and began their march towards the Bastille–the Fort of Louis XVI.
After a bloody battle, all prisoners in the Bastille were released. It was a milestone for the French—the first real taste of people’s power and an important chapter in the French Revolution.
To mark the occasion, France has a traditional military parade on the Champs- Elysees and there are cultural performances and fireworks all across the country. The icing on the cake is that India and France will mark the 25th anniversary of their strategic partnership this year.An Indian armed forces contingent will also participate with the French army to mark this milestone.
Common initiatives
“This historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals, and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India’s G20 presidency,” the statement from the MEA said.
‘’The Prime Minister’svisitwill herald the next phase of the India-France strategic partnership, setting new and ambitious targets for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation between the two countries,’’the MEA further said and added, “India and France share a common vision of peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, and adhere to the principles of the United Nations Charter, which are also the cornerstone of India-France cooperation in the Indo-Pacific.’’
Different from 2009
So what will be different this time compared to 2009 which was the last time an Indian Prime Minister(Manmohan Singh) had attended the Bastille Day Parade? For one, this is the 25th anniversary of our strategic partnership.
Both PM Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, observers believe, would like to make this event special.
Among the subjects likely to come up include the Indo-Pacific region, nuclear energy and defence with multiple agreements likely to be signed. Both PM Modi and President Macron share a warm friendship and the PM has visited France multiple times, with the last visit being in May 2022.
Role in Indian Ocean
France has been keen to play its role in the Indian Ocean and has reiterated its position multiple times. It views India as a key partner in this endeavour. In an interview with India Today last September France’s Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said: ‘’ I have to remind everyone that we, the French, are a resident people in the Indo-Pacific, West IndoPacific and in the Indian Ocean. We are a Pacific nation. We do a lot already.
The strategic partnership that we have forged for 25 years has security and defence dimensions as well as industrial cooperation, but it also has an operational pillar to it. We do joint patrols in the Indian Ocean, for example. We believe that there is room for deeper cooperation between India and France vis-a-vis some countries that might be subject to action from other countries, and I would not name only China. We are keen to keep doing what we have done and promote peace and stability in the region. This applies to the Indian Ocean and some African states.
But there is also potential to do it in the Pacific area by, for example, identifying development projects that can be useful to smaller states, and by acting together. Not competing, but combining our forces.’’
Scale and depth
But it is not just security and military hardware like the Rafale that governs our relationship with France. As PayalS. Kanwar, Director General of Indo-French Chamber of Commerce(IFCCI), said (in an Instagram post after Tata Sons Chairman S Chandrasekaran was awarded the Chevalier de la Légiond’Honneur, the highest French civilian honour on May 17): “The Tata family has deep-rooted ties with France right from JRD Tata who was half French and born in Paris to Ms Simone Tata who was incidentally one of the founders of IFCCI. The recent historic order of 250 Airbus A320neos and A350s along with 800 Safran motors for Air India has further boosted business between both countries!”
And, mind you, this is just one company. One can reel a 100 more that have deep ties with France. That is the scale and depth of the relationship. Long-standing, deep-rooted and built on trust and mutual respect.
