Of the two, Modi spoke by phone with Vladimir Putin on June 30, six days after the Wagner Private Military Company’s uprising was put down. Following the police shooting death of a French national of Algerian heritage during a traffic check on June 27, rioting erupted in Paris and quickly extended to other significant areas of the nation. As Modi finalises his vacation plans, France’s President Emmanuel Macron is facing the most significant political test of his term in office.
The events in France were discussed during Modi’s meeting with Emmanuel Bonne, Macron’s diplomatic advisor, on July 6, along with the broader backdrop of Franco-Indian interaction. The security establishment in India is worried that Modi, who is the primary guest for the Bastille Day Parade on July 14, would be exposed to the public for a number of hours. It’s a special event.
Source: The Economic Times
When Macron was chosen to serve as president for the first time (in 2017), Modi did more than just send the customary Twitter greeting or handwritten letter of congratulations. As much as his belief that India’s connections with France needed to be strengthened, he was attracted by the President-elect’s unique personal biography.
He informed the then Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar of his desire to fly to Paris and personally meet and congratulate the incoming President, shocking the established foreign policy establishments in both nations. One of the first foreign leaders to speak with Macron was Modi, approving the customary practise of new Presidents’ European heavyweight counterparts paying early visits to the u00c9lysu00e9e Palace.
Clearly, the investment was worthwhile. Manmohan Singh was the first Indian president to serve as the principal guest on Bastille Day, and when Modi does so, he will be just the second. It will be seen as a particular compliment to France’s relationship with India, going above and beyond saluting Modi, by New Delhi’s other aspirants for closer ties. It may have far-reaching effects for India’s efforts to achieve strategic autonomy in the aftermath of the Cold War’s destruction of the multipolar world.
Source: CNBC- TV 18
With the exception of France, India conducts several strategic discussions with other nations, but none of them have the goal of giving India’s foreign policy strategic autonomy. From a Franco-Indian effort, the idea is quickly growing and establishing trilateral fora.
The foreign ministers of France, India, and the United Arab Emirates had a long phone chat on February 4. Kwatra attended an India-France-UAE Trilateral Dialogue the next day while he was in Paris. The three nations agreed to take practical steps to cooperate in the areas of defence, energy and the environment, innovation, and intercultural exchanges. Modi and Macron will discuss similar trilateral links at their upcoming meeting after previously solidifying their bilateral ties. This will usher in a new era of vitality and imaginative growth in India’s foreign policy.
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