This article describes the diplomatic relationship between India and France: how the Strategic Partnership began, the frameworks that now guide it, recent visits by leaders and ministers, and the dialogue mechanisms through which the two governments work together. It is based on the MEA brief of July 2026, and it reflects the position described in that brief.

Establishment of relations and the Strategic Partnership

According to the MEA brief of July 2026, India and France established diplomatic relations soon after India's independence in 1947. The brief describes relations since then as close and friendly.

The Strategic Partnership was launched on 26 January 1998. It was the first strategic partnership for India with a Western nation, and the first for France with a non-Western nation. The brief names defence and security, civil nuclear matters and space as the principal pillars of this strategic cooperation.

In recent years, the brief notes, the partnership has broadened to include artificial intelligence, blue economy, environment, innovation, science and technology, sustainable development, renewable energy, and trilateral cooperation with a focus on the Indo-Pacific. The brief lists shared democratic values, belief in multilateralism, respect for international law, and economic, cultural, academic and people-to-people ties as the basis of the partnership.

The Horizon 2047 Roadmap

The year 2023 marked 25 years of the India-France strategic partnership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to France on 13-14 July 2023 as the guest of honour at the French National Day. During that visit both sides adopted the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, which sets the course for the next 25 years until 2047, the year that will mark the centenaries of India's independence and of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

In 2024, President Macron paid a state visit to India as the Chief Guest for the 75th Republic Day of India on 26 January 2024. The brief calls it unprecedented for the two leaders to be guests of honour at each other's national days in succession, and describes this as a high point in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership.

Special Global Strategic Partnership

President Macron visited India (Mumbai and New Delhi) on 17-19 February 2026 and participated in the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit 2026. The brief records this as his fourth visit to India. In Mumbai, the two leaders held bilateral talks and jointly inaugurated the 2026 India-France Year of Innovation.

On this occasion the leaders agreed to elevate relations to a Special Global Strategic Partnership to guide bilateral cooperation in the coming decades. They also established an annual Foreign Ministers Comprehensive Dialogue. Its purpose is to review regularly the progress of bilateral cooperation and the implementation of the elevated partnership and of the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, in particular in economic security, global issues and people-to-people exchanges.

Prime Minister Modi's visit of June 2026

Prime Minister Modi paid an official visit to France on 13-14 June 2026 (Nice) and 16-18 June 2026 (Evian and Paris). In Nice, the two leaders jointly inaugurated the Bharat Innovates event and held bilateral talks, their first since the relationship was elevated in February 2026. The brief lists the following major outcomes of the meeting:

  • setting up of a high-level mechanism to double bilateral trade within five years
  • the establishment of a dialogue on economic security
  • the adoption of Innovation Roadmap 2030
  • the signing of 19 agreements between institutions in the innovation ecosystem of both countries
  • the creation of an India-France Joint Working Group on Artificial Intelligence and its global governance
  • a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on establishing a centre of excellence in skilling in aeronautics at the campus of the Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur
  • a declaration of intent on cooperation in the railways sector and other areas

On 16-17 June, the Prime Minister participated in the G7 Summit in Evian. He spoke in the sessions on Forging New Partnerships and Rebuilding International Solidarity; Reviving Balanced, Shared and Sustainable Economic Growth for All; and Ensuring a Safe, Rapid and Efficient Rollout of AI. On 18 June he visited Paris and delivered a keynote address at the VivaTech Summit, where India was the Official AI Country Partner.

Earlier leader-level contacts

In February 2025, Prime Minister Modi visited France and co-chaired the AI Action Summit in Paris with President Macron. He also visited Marseille, where the two leaders paid respects at Mazargues War Cemetery to Indian soldiers who lost their lives during World War I.

The brief notes that the two leaders use multilateral summits to meet and review the progress of bilateral relations, in particular the Horizon 2047 Roadmap. They met on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, in June 2025, and of the G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, in November 2025. They have also maintained contact through telephone conversations.

Ministerial exchanges

External Affairs Minister (EAM) Dr. S. Jaishankar visited France on 26-27 March 2026 to participate in the G7 Foreign Ministers' Meeting with partner countries. On the sidelines, he called on President Macron and held a bilateral meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot.

In January 2026, at the invitation of Foreign Minister Barrot, EAM addressed the 31st Conference of Ambassadors of France as the guest of honour. According to the brief, he was the first non-European Foreign Minister invited by the French side as guest of honour at this Conference. During the visit he also took part in the first India-Weimar Foreign Ministers' meeting, which included the Foreign Ministers of France, Germany and Poland, and met French parliamentarians, including members of the India-France Parliamentary Friendship Group.

In early June 2025, EAM paid an official visit to France, held discussions with Foreign Minister Barrot and called on President Macron. He also attended the inaugural Mediterranean edition of the Raisina Dialogue in Marseille, together with Foreign Minister Barrot. The brief states that the Mediterranean edition will now be an annual event in Marseille.

Other visits recorded in the brief include:

  • Chief Justice of India Justice Surya Kant visited Paris on 31 January-02 February 2026 and met French judicial counterparts, including Richard Ferrand, President of the Constitutional Council, to discuss cooperation in judicial technology and training.
  • Minister of Earth Sciences Dr. Jitendra Singh visited Nice to participate in the third United Nations Ocean Conference on 9-13 June 2025.

Dialogue mechanisms

On 13 January 2026, National Security Adviser Ajit Doval co-chaired the 38th India-France Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi with Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to the French President, and General Vincent Giraud, Military Advisor to the President. During the visit, Mr. Bonne also met EAM and called on Prime Minister Modi.

India-France Foreign Office Consultations were held on 13 April 2026 in Paris, co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri and Mr. Martin Briens, Secretary-General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs. The previous round was held in January 2025 in Paris. The brief adds that bilateral consultations on the Indo-Pacific, global issues, the UN, the Middle East, disarmament and non-proliferation, counter-terrorism, health and consular issues take place on a regular basis.

Trilateral and regional cooperation

India and France have separate trilateral institutional exchanges with Australia and with the UAE. Ministerial-level meetings and focal point meetings of both mechanisms are held regularly, including on the sidelines of multilateral events. On 7 May 2026, an India-France-UAE trilateral meeting at the level of Foreign Secretary took place in Abu Dhabi. The India-France-UAE Trilateral Ministerial Meeting was held on 22 September 2026 in New York, on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly.

France is one of the original signatories to the MoU on the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor, which was signed on the margins of the G20 summit in Delhi on 9 September 2023.