Modi has big agenda in France |
India and France are set to sign agreements on areas such as culture and tourism, but the focus of Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s visit to France starting April 10 is cooperation in areas of strategic interest and high technology. Modi also isn`t giving up his taste for flamboyance, and a ride on the Seine with President Francois Hollande is slated. Also, there will be chai and charcha. The coming weeks will see Indian and French navies exercising in the Indian Ocean, the French deploying, for the first time, their aircraft carrier, Charles de Gaulle, for the event. This is a quantum leap in the quality of defense and security cooperation with France. The visit will also highlight France`s role as a reliable source of defense equipment, particularly with the recent launch of the first of the six Scorpene submarines and delivery of two upgraded Mirage-2000 aircraft. The fate of the Rafale deal is less certain. Both sides are in intense negotiations to see if the deal goes through, but if it stalls, it will cast a shadow on all other positives of the visit. The other marquee project, Jaitapur nuclear power plant, is also a slow-moving one.
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