EAM S Jaishankar holds talks with his French counterpart in Paris

External Affairs Minister, Dr S. Jaishankar held bilateral talks with his French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris yesterday. Both Ministers appreciated the close cooperation between India and France during the Covid pandemic and agreed to further deepen the Strategic Partnership. As part of this endeavour, both sides adopted the "India-France Roadmap on the Blue Economy and Ocean Governance”. 

The Roadmap aims to enhance partnership in the field of blue economy by way of institutional, economic, infrastructural and scientific cooperation. With the goal of further facilitating people-to-people contact, the two Ministers also agreed to continue and enhance their cooperation. They agreed to soon conclude a Joint Declaration of Intent in the Area of Sports. They also agreed to strengthen



the long standing cooperation on public administration and administrative reforms between the relevant authorities in India and France.

Dr Jaishankar and Mr Le Drian also discussed key regional and global issues, particularly the India-EU relationship and the priorities of the French Presidency of the EU Council that began on  1st January this year. Dr Jaishankar appreciated the French initiative of hosting an EU Ministerial Forum on Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific which will be held tomorrow. 

They also agreed to intensify India-EU ties under the French Presidency, and the need to begin negotiations on the India-EU Free Trade and Investment Agreements and implement the India-EU Connectivity Partnership.