Paris: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri arrived in Paris on Monday for the 3rd India-France Strategic Dialogue on Space and the first Dialogue on Economic Security and Critical Technologies, the Embassy of India in France said.
“India’s Foreign Secretary, Vikram Misri, arrived in Paris today for the 3rd India-France Strategic Dialogue on Space and the first Dialogue on Economic Security and Critical Technologies,” the Embassy posted on X.
The talks are aimed at expanding cooperation between the two countries, with a particular focus on resilient supply chains.
“These discussions will deepen cooperation between India and France in space, critical technologies and economic security, particularly in the area of resilient supply chains,” the Embassy said.
In September, Minister of State for Science and Technology and Earth Sciences Jitendra Singh met his French counterpart, Philippe Baptiste, and said that cooperation in the space sector between India and France has entered a new phase, with a focus on human spaceflight, start-ups, and a new space ecosystem.
India-France space cooperation has evolved from the early sounding rocket experiments of the 1960s into a broad and expanding partnership encompassing joint satellite missions, launch vehicle technologies, human spaceflight and emerging space applications, the minister had said.
Singh referred to Megha-Tropiques and SARAL, jointly built by ISRO and CNES, as well as cooperation in launch vehicle engine development, as milestones of enduring bilateral partnership.
The third joint satellite, TRISHNA, will soon be developed, the minister had said, and appreciated CNES support to India’s Gaganyaan programme, including supply of consumables and training of flight surgeons.
Earlier that month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited France and other countries to partner with India in its next phase of space exploration, while addressing the first International Space Summit in Paris via video conferencing.
“Cooperation over confrontation, sustainability over short-term gain, and inclusion over exclusion” should guide the future of the global space sector, the Prime Minister had said.
PM Modi had noted that more than 430 satellites from 34 countries have been launched aboard Indian rockets, reflecting growing international confidence in India’s space capabilities.
(IANS)
