PM Modi to Visit France from July 14-16, will sign 26 Rafale Aircraft deal

New Delhi, 11th July 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will pay a state visit to France from July 14-16 in order to strengthen economic and defence cooperation between India and France, as well as strategic connections between the European Union and India.

Modi’s trip to France comes only weeks after his first official visit to the United States, when he was honoured with a White House state banquet. Among the major topics discussed during Prime Minister Modi’s visit were military sales, semiconductor investment, and expanding space cooperation.

One of the major features of this tour is the purchase of 26 Rafale M aircraft and three more Scorpene submarines for more than Rs 90,000 crore.

The deals also contains 26 Rafale M planes, comprising 22 single sweaters and four double sweater trainers.

According to top government sources, the three new submarines will be part of the Scorpene agreement under the Ministry of Defence’s Project 75, which is aimed at the projected procurement of diesel-electric submarines for the Indian Navy.

The contracts will be submitted to the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) in the coming days before being disclosed in France. The multi-billion dollar defence contracts that will be signed and announced during the Prime Minister’s impending visit.

Prime Minister Modi will also be the Guest of Honour at France’s Bastille Day celebrations, hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron. The Indian military will also take part in the annual Bastille Day military display.

PM Modi will be the second Indian Prime Minister to get a red carpet greeting at the Bastille Day parade, following Dr. Manmohan Singh in 2009.

This visit will also include strategic alliances to extend interaction with Asia and other Western nations in order to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Pacific region.

Bilateral trade between India and France is worth EUR 10.7 billion, with over 1,000 French companies doing business worth more than $20 billion. With a total investment capital of EUR 1 billion, 210 Indian enterprises operate in France.

France is India’s 11th largest foreign investor, with a total FDI contribution of $10,389 million between April 2000 and September 2022.