France aims to get 30,000 students by 2030

New Delhi: Following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, India and France sealed an ambitious industrial roadmap to co-develop critical military hardware, firmed up a space situational awareness programme, while Tata group and Airbus agreed to jointly build H125 helicopters and French company Safran agreed to 100 per cent transfer of technology to India for design, development and certification for co-production of fighter jet engines.

During Macron’s two-day visit to India, which concluded on Friday, the two countries reportedly also held talks over the proposal to acquire 26 Rafale naval variant fighter aircraft and build three additional submarines under the P75 programme.

On Friday, in a move to boost people-to-people exchanges, Macron declared in a post on X that his goal is to have “30,000 Indian students in France by 2030”, adding, “It’s a very ambitious target, but I am determined to make it happen.”

At a ministry of external affairs briefing on Friday, foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said that after restricted talks between the Prime Minister and the French President on Thursday in Jaipur, the two nations have agreed to a defence industrial production roadmap to enhance opportunities in co-design, co-development, co-manufacturing and strengthening of defence supply chains.

On the fighter jet engines, Indian ambassador to France Jawed Ashraf said at the briefing that apart from the transfer of technology in manufacturing, India also wants to work with the French side in the design and metallurgical phases of production, adding that talks are ongoing between India’s DRDO and Safran.

Pointing out that these are the “subject of ongoing discussions”, the Indian envoy said India is looking at “a set of specifications for its future fighter jet requirements” and that the issue always features in talks between Macron and Modi.

The foreign secretary told the media that during the French President's visit, the two countries also agreed to a defence space partnership, an MoU for satellite launches, pacts on science and technology, healthcare cooperation, public administration and reforms, besides agreements in people-to-people exchanges such as a young professionals scheme for those between 18 and 35 years of age and a five-year validity for Schengen visas for Indian students who have Masters’ degrees from French universities.

He said that the two nations also agreed to set up a solar academy in the west African nation of Senegal under the International Solar Alliance.

The two nations have also decided to step up cooperation in clean energy and climate action and strengthen cooperation in trade, commerce and investment. Both leaders also discussed the regional and global situation, including the Ukraine conflict, the Gaza conflict and the concerning situation in the Red Sea where there is a threat to maritime traffic, the foreign secretary said.

Asked specifically about the status of plans for the acquisition of 26 Rafale fighter aircraft for the Indian Navy and building three more submarines with French assistance, Mr Kwatra said that the French presidential visit is “not focused on individual transactions”. He added that it is learnt that talks are ongoing.

On the ongoing bilateral talks in the past several years on civil nuclear energy for setting up close to 10,000 MW nuclear power plants, the foreign secretary said both nations have a “strategic commitment on this and are trying to move forward, adding that a “lot of progress” had been made.

On strengthening diplomatic ties, Kwatra said that the Indian consulate in the southern French city of Marseilles and the "French bureau" in Hyderabad are ready to be operational.