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France Emerges as Key Western Ally as Modi Expands India's Foreign Policy Matrix

March 12, 2018
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France has emerged as the key ally of India in the West as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expanding the foreign policy matrix of the South Asian nuclear giant facing heat from its neighbours China and Pakistan.

To signify this Prime Minister Modi breaking the protocol personally welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron at the airport with a bear hug, when he arrived in New Delhi on March 9 on a four day state visit.

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The bilateral agreement on reciprocal logistic support to their armed forces in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is one of the biggest takeaway from the New Delhi talks between Mr Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron. Both New Delhi and Paris share concerns over expanding Chinese naval activities in the Indian Ocean as France also has its overseas territories in this part of the globe.

"Agreement between the Government of the Republic of India and the Government of the Republic of France for the provision of reciprocal logistics support between their Armed Forces”, was one of the 14 documents signed after Modi-Macron talks at a juncture when the two nations are celebrating 20 years of their Strategic Partnership. It seeks to extend logistical support on reciprocal access to respective facilities for Indian and French armed forces. "The agreement is symbolic of the strategic depth and maturity reached in India-France defence ties," the two leaders said in a joint statement.

Modi and Macron appreciated the deepening interactions in the maritime domain for enhanced bilateral cooperation in the IOR. Welcoming the "Joint Strategic Vision of India-France Cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region”, as a "guiding beacon" for such partnership the two leaders reiterated that this cooperation will be crucial in order to maintain the safety of international sea lanes for unimpeded commerce and communications in accordance with the international law, for countering maritime terrorism and piracy, for building maritime domain awareness, for capacity building and for greater coordination in regional and international fora in the region.

Observers here note that while France is the biggest maritime power in the Indian Ocean, with bases in Reunion and Mayotte, Abu Dhabi in UAE and also has a presence in southern Pacific, with bases in French Polynesia and New Caledonia. Under the agreement the Indian Navy and Air Force would also be able to use French bases in Djibouti, where China is already developing its military base.

Although in August 2016 New Delhi has signed with Washington Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), a tweaked India-specific version of the Logistics Support Agreement (LSA), which the US has with several military allies, but it falls short of the ambit of the Indo-French agreement. Unlike in the case of France, there is no national consensus in India on an alliance with the US, which has put forward many conditions which may deprive India of its cherished strategic autonomy.

To further upgrade their strategic partnership India and France signed the intergovernmental agreement regarding the Exchange and Reciprocal Protection of Classified or Protected Information paving the path for closer military-technical and defence cooperation including transfer of sensitive military technologies. They also agreed to launch an annual defence dialogue at the ministerial level.

India has already ordered 36 Rafale fighter jets from France and is building six Scorpene conventional submarines with French cooperation in the country. However, no fresh defence deals were signed during Mr Macron's visit.

Sources note that on the backdrop of Brexit and drastic weakening of Angela Merkel's leadership in Germany, India has identified France as its key ally in the West, however, they rejected media speculations about New Delhi ditching its "old trusted friend" Russia to replace it with France.

On the eve of the French President's visit a section of Indian media had speculated about New Delhi willing to replace Moscow with Paris due to Russia's growing bonhomie with Pakistan and presumed alliance with China. In reality, for India Eurasian giant Russia and a prominent EU-member France have their own independent significance. Strategic partnerships with both of them helps India in its quest for a global power status. In the field of energy security, including civil nuclear energy Russia is and will remain India's key indispensable strategic partner although talks with France of Jaitapur NPP are yet to move ahead but the question still remains about its price competitiveness with power provided by the Russian built Kudankulam NPP in the south of the country.

In the Indian arms market Russia and France may be rivals, but not antagonists, they have also accumulated a rich experience in jointly working for the Indian projects like Sukhoi Su-30MKI multirole fighters, T-90S main battle tanks. French aircraft engine maker SAFRAN is to power 200 Kamov Ka-226T light utility helicopters to be assembled in India by Indo-Russian JV. Experts opine that Russia and France could work together in the development of India's indigenous AMCA fifth generation combat aircraft as due to high cost and relatively low level of technology transfer and work share the Indian Air Force has declined to participate in FGFA project on the basis of Russia's Sukhoi PAK-FA T-50.

On the most key global and regional issues like anti-terror combat, West Asia, Iran nuclear deal, India, France and Russia are broadly on the same page.

In view of US President Trump's anti-Tehran rhetoric, India and France reaffirmed their support for the continued full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) signed between Iran and the E3+3. They recognised the confirmation by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that Iran is complying with its nuclear-related JCPOA commitments. The two countries called for the full and effective implementation of the deal, which has been endorsed by the UN Security Council and is a crucial contribution to the non-proliferation framework and international peace, stability and security. They called on all parties to implement fully UN Security Council resolution 2231. A position also shared by Russia too.

On Syria India and France also called for protecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria.

In the last full-blooded year of his current term ending in May 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expanded the matrix of traditional Indian foreign policy, often referred as Nehruvian, to match the global power aspirations of the country and retain strategic autonomy in the rapidly unfolding global scenario with the weakening of uni-polar world order and emergence of a multipolar world order based on 'middle powers' alliances when China is poised to take a leading role hitherto belonging to the US.

Photo: REUTERS/Ludovic Marin

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