Salman Khurshid heads to Paris, nuclear deal cooperation on agenda

New Delhi: India and France will seek to step their civil nuclear cooperation and intensify economic ties when External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid goes on a two-day visit to Paris starting Thursday.

Announcing the visit, Syed Akbaruddin, the spokesperson of the external affairs ministry, said Khurshid will hold talks with his French counterpart Laurent Fabius.

Khurshid will also call on French President Francois Hollande. This will be the first visit by Khurshid to Paris since he assumed charge as the foreign minister.

This will be the first visit by Khurshid to Paris since he assumed charge as the foreign minister.

During the talks, India and France are expected to discuss a cluster of issues, including civil nuclear cooperation, trade and investment, defence cooperation and the global financial crisis.

Trade and investment between India and France are steadily surging. Bilateral trade is estimated to be $8.9 billion. More than 800 French companies have their representative office in India.

Over 100 Indian companies have established their presence in France. India is the 13th largest investor in France. Many defence agreements are in the pipeline, the spokesperson said.

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