India and France engaged in discussions on potential areas for enhanced bilateral cooperation during the India-France Economic and Financial Dialogue. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Roland Lescure, Minister of Economy, Finance, Industrial, Energy, and Digital Sovereignty of France, co-chaired the dialogue in Aix-en-Provence. The dialogue aimed at strengthening economic ties within the special global strategic partnership framework.
Both countries explored aligning their positions in multilateral economic forums like the G20 and the Paris Club. The dialogue also included talks on the global economic outlook and the India-France cooperation on critical minerals. Areas such as economic sovereignty, security policies, and opportunities in the high-speed railway sector were also on the agenda.
India and France emphasized the importance of connecting their financial industries and acknowledged the French Development Agency’s contributions to economic development in India. The ministers committed to using the dialogue as a key platform for addressing various economic, financial, technological, investment, and trade issues. Plans were made to potentially hold the next dialogue edition in 2027.
