NEW DELHI, July 4 (ANI) — Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and French Minister of Economy, Finance, Industrial, Energy, and Digital Sovereignty Roland Lescure co-chaired the India-France Economic and Financial Dialogue in Aix-en-Provence on Friday, reaffirming their commitment to strengthening bilateral economic cooperation.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the dialogue was held as part of efforts to deepen economic engagement under the India-France Special Strategic Partnership. The meeting followed commitments made during French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India in February 2026 and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s subsequent engagement to convene the dialogue this year.
The discussions focused on coordination in multilateral forums and expanding bilateral cooperation across several sectors.
Both ministers emphasized closer alignment between India and France within international platforms, including the G20 and the Paris Club. The talks also took place in the context of India’s engagement with France’s G7 presidency.
The two sides exchanged views on the global economic outlook and the challenges facing international growth.
A key focus of the dialogue was strengthening economic sovereignty and security. India and France discussed advancing cooperation on critical minerals as part of broader efforts to build resilient supply chains and explored ways to increase cross-border investments.
In the infrastructure sector, the ministers reviewed opportunities for collaboration in high-speed rail, building on the declaration of intent on railway cooperation signed earlier.
The Ministry of Finance said both countries also discussed proposals to strengthen financial-sector linkages to support greater trade, investment, and technology collaboration.
The ministers acknowledged the contributions of the French Development Agency to India’s economic development and welcomed opportunities for future cooperation in urban infrastructure, climate initiatives, and energy projects.
According to the ministry, both sides agreed to use the India-France Economic and Financial Dialogue as the principal platform for addressing bilateral issues related to the economy, finance, technology, investment, and trade.
The ministers also agreed to explore holding the next round of the dialogue in 2027.
The Ministry of Finance said the dialogue is expected to enhance coordination between India and France on resilient supply chains, clean energy, digital sovereignty, and infrastructure financing in the years ahead. (ANI)
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