Click to play videoParis: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is in Paris and is expected to strengthen India and France's strategic partnership in atomic energy, defence, trade and other key areas in his meeting with French President Nicholas Sarkozy on Tuesday.
On Monday, Sarkozy rolled out the red carpet for Manmohan, who he has invited as the chief guest for France’s annual Bastille Day parade.
For the first time Indian Army, Naval and Air Force contingent - that was practicing along with French troops for the past week - will march down the Champs Elysee during the Bastille Day celebrations with Singh and Sarkozy in attendance.
"It is symbolic of how close our strategic relations and confident we are that India and France are walking together in the world for peace and security,” French ambassador to Delhi, Jerome Bonnafont said.
Sarkozy, who has a working lunch with the PM on Tuesday, is also hoping France and India will walk in step on several defence deals worth approximately 6 billion euros, including:
- The upgrade of the Indian Air Force's Mirage 2000 fighter aircraft
- 126 Medium combat aircraft that the French Rafael is in the running for
- 197 light aircraft that the French EADS Eurcopter is a front runner for
- 6 mid-air re-fuellers that Airbus wants to bag the contract for
- Some naval surveillance equipment
"France is now very actively participating in tenders from various equipment we wish to buy from abroad. So naturally they have hopes to bag some of them and increase their overall profile in our defence procurement,” says ex-foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal.
Singh and Sarkozy are also talking nuclear - especially the impact of restrictions the G8 countries have put on fuel supplies - and may plan on the two nuclear power reactors India wants to acquire for a plant in Maharashtra.
His French connection is only the beginning of a long week abroad for the Prime Minister, whose meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani has now been set for Thursday morning in Egypt.
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