French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to visit India on April 13-15, the French ambassador announced on Monday. Mr Le Drian will hold talks with his Indian counterpart S. Jaishankar also participate in the Presidential Dialogue.
The ministers' talks are expected to focus on “all aspects of a two-pronged partnership” involving Indo-Pacific joint ventures and cooperation with the UN Security Council as India completes its first three months as a permanent member.
Despite strategic alliances between the two sides, India in recent weeks has adopted a vigilant approach to the UNSC. India has participated in "Arria-formula" meetings, consultations between 15 UNSC members on areas of conflict and other issues, while expressing doubts about the nature of the conference. On March 8, India, along with Russia and China, were the only three countries that did not support the “Women, Peace and Security” conference. The meeting was sponsored by 12 other members, including France. Two similar meetings on the Crimea issue held on March 12 and 17 also examined the unity of many countries in India as the issue was critical from Russia's point of view. India's cautionary stance stems from the realization that "Arria-formula" conventions have been "misused" by former players around the world.
The visit of Mr. Le Drian in Delhi is likely to explore India's feelings for relations with other powers such as Russia, China and the emerging cooperation of India and Australia, the U.S., and Japan in 'Quad'. Last week, the Indian Armed Forces, for the first time, joined the French-led La Pérouse-led offshore program in the Eastern Indian Ocean that also participated in other countries in Qadrilateral grouping Australia, Japan and the United States.
The trip comes just a week after a three-part series by French investigators Mediapart revealed, based on a study by French anti-corruption organizations, how French aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation had paid € 1 million to an Indian airline owned by a mediator, Sushen Gupta. - € 7.87 bn between India and France in 2016. Mr Gupta is being investigated for another defense deal in India. It said French anti-corruption officials had made little effort to investigate the existence of corruption and racism in connection with the Rafale agreement.
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The articles also explained how Mr. Gupta obtained important documents from the Indian negotiating team involved in the Rafale agreement and presented them to Dassault Aviation. Delivery of jets to Rafale is ongoing and the Indian Air Force has so far received 14 of the 36 jets.
Mr Le Drian and Mr Jaishankar will be joined by Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne at the Raisina Dialogue Dialogue which has emerged as a major series of international talks from India. He will hold talks with the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change Prakash Javadekar during his stay here. Mr. Le Drian will conclude his visit to Bangalore where he will highlight the Indo-French collaboration in health and biology and meet with the French technology community in the city.
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