THE storming of Bastille by French revolutionaries on July 14, 1789 is part of history curriculum all over the world. It was the French Revolution which laid the foundations of democracy and led to the end of feudalism in Europe for the first time. So when Prime Minister Narendra Modi became the Chief Guest in Paris on the occasion of Bastille Day Parade on July 14, the significance of the symbolism was lost on none.
Here was the head of the largest democracy of the world, being conferred the highest honour of the country by France, the birthplace of modern democracy. The recent visits of PM Modi to France, UAE, the US and Egypt have led to a giant leap in the global stature of India because of his charisma and mass appeal.
In fact, the bonhomie with France is not new for India. As soon as its rival and neighbour UK ended its occupation of India in 1947, France recognised India as a free country and established diplomatic relations with it. Although its occupation of Puducherry till 1954 and India’s close relations with the erstwhile Soviet Union had proved to be initial dampeners in the otherwise-cosy relationship with France, over the years these issues were sorted out.
In 1974, when the US stopped providing uranium for Tarapur nuclear plant due to nuclear tests by India, France provided this vital fuel. In 1975, when US President Gerald Ford and Britain’s Prince Charles postponed their visits to India due to the declaration of Emergency, French President Jacques Chirac came as the Chief Guest on Republic Day in January 1976.
In 1998, when all the powerful countries of the world were imposing economic sanctions on India, angry with the nuclear test, France not only refused to impose sanctions but was also the first country to start strategic talks with India and establish a strategic partnership the same year.
On the occasion of the completion of 25 years of that strategic partnership, Prime Minister Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron released a vision for the coming 25 years, called ‘Kshitij 2047’. The partnership in the next 25 years will be built not just on defence but also on technology.
India is the world’s largest importer of defence equipment while France is among the largest exporters. From fighter aircraft to submarines, India gets everything from France. The share of the US in India’s defence imports in 2022 was only 11 per cent, while that of France was 29 per cent.
But apart from France, there are other countries too, such as Russia, Israel, South Korea, Germany, and Britain, which supply defence equipment to India. Also, India is now exporting defence products. In 2022 it set a record for defence exports worth $1.5 billion. Looking at the growing closeness of China with Russia, France also realises that India must be thinking of a new option in this direction, and as a new option, there can be no better country than France.
Probably for this reason, in the documents released during PM Modi’s visit to France, there was mention of not only trade in defence equipment but also joint research, development, and production.
