India-France agree to increase bilateral cooperation in technology sector; PM Modi’s visit next month

New Delhi. Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France, both have agreed to increase bilateral cooperation in high-level technology areas. During the ‘Foreign Office Consultations’ held in Paris, the two countries reviewed the progress made in aspects of bilateral cooperation under the India-France Horizon 2047 roadmap. PM Modi will visit France next month for a meeting on AI.

The meeting was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Anne-Marie Descottes, Secretary General of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. The Ministry of External Affairs said, bilateral cooperation including defense, civil nuclear energy, space, cyber and digital, AI, institutional dialogue mechanisms, people-to-people exchanges and promotion of cultural relations were discussed in the meeting held in Paris. Both sides have agreed to expand bilateral partnership in high-level technology areas.

International-regional issues discussed
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the meeting also discussed ongoing international and regional issues related to environment, climate change, cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, joint development projects in third countries, the situation in West Asia and the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Discussion on increasing trade between India and Belgium
India-Belgium have agreed to establish mechanisms to resolve trade issues in areas such as pharmaceuticals and agricultural products. These issues were discussed during a meeting between Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Belgian Foreign Trade Minister Bernard Quinton in Brussels. The Commerce Ministry said, regulatory barriers in the approval processes for pharmaceutical and agricultural products were also discussed. Both sides agreed to deal with these challenges.