INDIA and France have agreed to intensify maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and increase militaries’ naval visits as they strive to build a balanced and stable order in the strategically important region, with respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and President Emmanuel Macron’s vision of security and cooperation outlined in the Indo-Pacific Strategy of France are very much aligned, said the ‘India-France Indo-Pacific Roadmap’, released after the bilateral talks between the two leaders here on Friday.

 

“We believe that the India-France partnership will be a crucial pillar of the inter-connected and intersecting arrangements in the Indo-Pacific region and indispensable for a peaceful and prosperous future for the Indo-Pacific region,” the two leaders said, amidst an assertive China flexing its muscle in the region. France has a sizable presence in the Indo-Pacific region in territories such as Reunion Island, New Caledonia and French Polynesia which are home to nearly 1.5 million people. The territories also serve as a military base for France in the region. India has been participating in coordinated surveillance missions using its P8I Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance aircraft with the French Navy at Reunion Island. Earlier, at a joint press event with Macron, Modi on Friday said India and France have a special responsibility to ensure peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

 

“As resident powers of the Indo-Pacific, India and France have special responsibility for peace and stability in the region,” he said. “We welcome the decision by France to lead the Maritime Resource Pillar in India’s Indo-Pacific Ocean Initiative,” the Prime Minister said. “We will continue to deepen our exchanges, cooperate on situational and domain awareness, intensify maritime cooperation across the region such as the one we conduct in the South West Indian Ocean Region in liaison with partner countries in the region,” they said.