NEW DELHI — French President Francois Hollande began a three-day visit to India today (Jan 24) that could push a multibillion-dollar deal for combat airplanes and closer cooperation on counterterrorism and clean energy.
Mr Hollande landed in the northern city of Chandigarh where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is due to join him at official engagements.
Designed in the 1950s by Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier, Chandigarh is one of three places that France has pledged to help develop as so-called “smart cities” — with clean water supplies, efficient sewage disposal and public transportation.
In Chandigarh, Mr Hollande and French business leaders will meet with Indian counterparts to boost bilateral trade, which in 2014 stood at US$8.6 billion (S$12.3 billion). New Delhi is also trying to encourage French companies to tap into India’s economic boom.
Mr Hollande is accompanied by a high-profile delegation including the ministers of defence, foreign affairs, economy and culture and dozens of top corporate leaders.
Mr Hollande will travel to the Indian capital later today. He will hold talks with Indian leaders tomorrow and be a guest of honour on Tuesday at India’s Republic Day parade, celebrating 66 years since the country adopted its constitution.
High on the agenda is India’s desire to purchase 36 Rafale combat planes for its air force, which Mr Modi had announced during a visit to Paris in April, touching off several rounds of negotiations over pricing, offsets and servicing.
In an interview with the Press Trust of India news agency, Mr Hollande hinted it might take some more time to sign the deal.
“Agreeing on the technicalities of this arrangement obviously takes time, but we are on the right track,” PTI quoted Mr Hollande as saying.
France has also promised support for India’s clean-energy quest, including a solar energy alliance launched last month during the global climate talks held in Paris.
No comments:
Post a Comment