Anne-Marie Descôtes Visits India For High-Level France-India Foreign Office Consultations

 Ms Anne-Marie Descôtes, Secretary General – Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, was in India yesterday to hold political consultations with her Indian counterpart, Mr Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary – Ministry of External Affairs.

 Secretary General Descôtes thanked the Indian side for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s kind invitation to President Emmanuel Macron to the AI Impact Summit that India is hosting in February 2026. Innovation and new technologies are growing fields of cooperation between France and India, and 2026 will mark the India-France Year of Innovation.

 Ms Descôtes and Mr Misri reviewed the different aspects of the Indo-French strategic partnership, including civil nuclear energy, and defence and security cooperation.

 They exchanged views on major international issues, including efforts for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, the ongoing crisis in Gaza, and the fight against terrorism.

 Further, Ms Descôtes reiterated France’s support for deepening and expanding EU-India relations, following the 2025 Joint Communication of the European Commission and the High Representative on a New Strategic EU-India Agenda. France fully supports the conclusion of an ambitious trade agreement between the European Union and India.

 Furthermore, she met Mr Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor to Prime Minister, and Mr P. K. Mishra, Principal Secretary to Prime Minister.

 Ms Descôtes also paid a courtesy call on Dr Shashi Tharoor, Hon’ble Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on External Affairs.

 Secretary General Descôtes wrapped up her trip with a visit to the Alliance Française de Delhi as well as Campus France offices. With France looking forward to welcoming greater numbers of Indian students, President Macron and Prime Minister Modi have set the ambitious goal of hosting 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030.