Security, defense… These “pillars” at the heart of the challenges of this new visit by Emmanuel Macron to India

Guest of Narendra Modi, the French head of state will notably participate in the parade for “Republic Day”, one of the three Indian national holidays… without forgetting to talk about contracts.

Palaces, a parade and 21 cannon shots: French President Emmanuel Macron begins a two-day visit to India on Thursday, his third trip there since his arrival at the Elysée. A protocol visit imbued with splendor and emblematic of the strategic partnership developed by the two countries: the Head of State is the guest of honor of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the celebration of the Indian Constitution, which came into force on January 26, 1950, two years after independence. This is the response of the Hindu nationalist leader, himself guest of honor for the military parade on July 14 in Paris. Emmanuel Macron receives this honor in the wake of the Egyptian (2023), Brazilian (2020) and South African (2019) presidents.

On the program: a ceremony with elephants, camels, and horses, a procession in the streets of Jaipur, a dinner with Narendra Modi in a palace… A welcome “royal“, promises the Indian press. And Emmanuel Macron could not dream of better, he, who wants to consolidate ties with India”a key partner“, says the Elysée. Narendra Modi first invited American President Joe Biden, who ultimately did not follow up, according to the Indian press. “This trip will make it possible to consolidate and deepen Franco-Indian diplomatic and economic relations and to strengthen links between civil societies.“, welcomes the French presidency.

Billions at stake

In diplomatic terms, we talk about “pillars” which bring India and France closer together. The first of these is security and sovereignty. With one obvious fact: India is essential when we talk about peace in the Indo-Pacific region. The country can also be a special interlocutor when we want to send messages to Russia, thanks to the close relations between New Delhi and Moscow, and an alternative to China.

The second pillar is that of defense. Cooperation with Paris is particularly dense and amounts above all to billions of euros with India’s purchase of submarines, but also and above all Rafale fighter planes. In total, more than 60 aircraft have been purchased by India since 2015, the last order dating from last July. Third pillar: space and cyber. We know that the country wants to send an Indian to the moon before 2040. Astronaut Thomas Pesquet will thus be on Emmanuel Macron’s official trip. The fourth pillar is that of culture with exchange programs, the stated objective of which is to receive some 30,000 Indian students in France before 2030.

There remains one pillar that the NGOs would like to see addressed during the visit: that of Human Rights in India, which has been abused for several years. However, far from the subjects which anger in France and in particular the farmers’ crisis, Emmanuel Macron is not going to dwell too much on the subjects which anger in India. The head of state is thus discreet about the excesses of power, accused of repression against Muslims, of attacks on freedom of the press… A French journalist has said in recent hours that she has been threatened with expulsion because she is too critical. The Élysée, for its part, assures that there is no taboo and that the goal is to discuss the subjects with respect. But obviously not in public.