India and France review progress in key areas of bilateral cooperation, including the civil nuclear domain

India and France reviewed progress in key areas of bilateral cooperation, including the civil nuclear domain, at the Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) co-chaired by visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and Secretary-General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Anne-Marie Descôtes in Paris on Monday.

The visit came a month after the 36th Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi on January 5 between India's National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Diplomatic Advisor to the French President Emmanuel Bonne.

At the FOC, both sides reviewed progress on key areas of bilateral cooperation, including on the various institutional dialogue mechanisms between the two countries, civil nuclear domain, on cooperation vis-à-vis the UNSC given the end of India’s term, and the people-to-people and cultural sphere, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.

They also discussed global and regional issues including climate and energy transition, health, and trilateral cooperation. The two sides exchanged views on topical issues such as India’s G20 Presidency, the conflict in Ukraine, the security situation in Afghanistan, among others, the MEA added.

During his visit, Foreign Secretary Kwatra participated in the Focal Points’ Meeting of the India-France-UAE Trilateral Dialogue launched in September 2022 by the Foreign Ministers of the three countries.

As a follow up to the Joint Statement issued and the roadmap adopted by the three Foreign Ministers during their telephone call on February 4, 2023, the three focal points discussed the practical steps to take the cooperation forward including in the fields of defence, energy and environment, innovation and people-to-people exchanges, by synergising the strong bilateral partnerships between India, France and the UAE, the MEA said.

Foreign Secretary Kwatra later called on French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Catherine Colonna and briefed her about his discussions with Secretary-General Descôtes in the FOC and the India-France-UAE Trilateral meeting.

The Indian Foreign Secretary's other meetings included those with Diplomatic Advisor Bonne, Director-General of the French Treasury Emmanuel Moulin, and Director-General for International Relations and Strategy of the French Ministry of Armed Forces Alice Rufo.