New Delhi [India], May 26 : A high-level delegation from the French Senate led by Senator Catherine Dumas, concluded an official visit to India from May 18 to 23, 2025, aimed at strengthening inter-parliamentary cooperation between the two countries.
The delegation of France's Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and the Armed Forces, which included Senators Marie-Arlette Carlotti, Hugues Saury, and Philippe Folliot, built on previous visits to Indonesia (2022) and Japan (2024) and followed up on the 2020 Senate report titled "India, a Strategic Partner."
During the visit to New Delhi, the senators held bilateral talks with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri focusing on global and regional developments, defence cooperation, and the Indo-French strategic partnership.
The group also engaged with Indian parliamentarians from the Standing Committees on Defence and External Affairs, led by Dr. Shashi Tharoor. The delegation received a guided tour of India's new Parliament building, symbolising institutional friendship between the two nations.
At the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the French delegation met with Chairman Samir V. Kamat to discuss opportunities for joint development and technological cooperation under the India-France Defence Industrial Roadmap.
The senators also paid tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Raj Ghat and interacted with the French community, including a visit to the French Institute in India.
The delegation then travelled to Bengaluru to visit Digantara, a leading Indian space-tech start-up, and the Thales Engineering Competence Centre, highlighting Indo-French collaboration in aerospace and defence innovation.
The senators also toured the National Gallery of Modern Art and met with the local French community.
In Mumbai, the delegation toured the SUEZ water treatment facility, reflecting shared interests in sustainable urban infrastructure. The group also visited Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd, a key player in India's naval sector involved in building Scorpene/Kalvari-class submarines under technology transfer from France's Naval Group.
The visit concluded with strategic discussions at the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) with ORF Vice President Dhaval Desai and Vice Admiral Girish Luthra (Retd.).
The visit reinforced the strong and multifaceted partnership between India and France, emphasising mutual cooperation in defence, technology, and sustainable development.
Both sides expressed optimism about deepening ties and exploring new avenues for collaboration, further solidifying the strategic relationship in the years ahead.
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