India, France ink 14 MoUs in key sectors

New Delhi [India], Mar 10 (ANI): India and France on Saturday signed 14 agreements in key sectors in an effort to bolster the bilateral relations between the two sides.

An agreement was signed on the prevention of illicit consumption and reduction of illicit traffic in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and chemical precursors and related offences.

It will facilitate the two countries in combating illicit traffic and consumption of drugs and will also impact on the financing of terrorism.

The agreement was exchanged by Home Minister Rajnath Singh from the Indian side and Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs from the French side.

An agreement on India-France Migration and Mobility Partnership was signed between the two sides. It will facilitate temporary circular migration based on mobility and the encouragement for a return of skills to the home country.

The agreement was exchanged by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj from the Indian side and Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs from the French side.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between India and France to facilitate mutual recognition of academic qualifications.

The agreement was exchanged by Human Resource Development Minister Pravash Javadekar from the Indian side and Frederique Vidal, the Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation from the French side.

A MoU between the Ministry of Railways and SNCF Motilities of France on technical cooperation was also signed in the field of railways. The purpose of this MoU is to build upon and deepen the mutual cooperation and focus on priority areas of high speed and semi-high speed rail, station renovation and modernisation of current operations and infrastructure; and suburban trains.

The agreement was exchanged by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal from the Indian side and Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs from the French side.

A Letter of Intent between India and France was signed for the creation of a permanent Indo-French Railways Forum. The purpose of this Letter of Intent is to enhance the already existing cooperation by creating an Indo-French Permanent Railway Forum.

The agreement was exchanged by Railways Minister Piyush Goyal from the Indian side and Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs from the French side.

An agreement was signed between India and France regarding the provision of reciprocal logistics support between their country's armed forces. It will facilitate the reciprocal provision of logistic support, supplies and services between the armed forces of the two countries during authorised port visits, joint exercises, joint training, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts.

The agreement was exchanged by Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman from the Indian side and Florence Parly, the Minister for the Armed Forces from the French side.

A MoU between India and France on cooperation in the field of environment. It aims to establish a basis for the exchange of information between the Governments and technical experts of the two countries in the field of environment and climate change.

It was exchanged by Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Dr. Mahesh Sharma from the Indian side and Brune Poirson, the Minister of State, attached to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition from the French side.

An agreement between India and France was signed on the cooperation in the field of sustainable urban development. It will allow the exchange of information on smart city development, development of urban mass transportation systems, urban settlements and utilities.

The agreement was exchanged by Minister of State (IC) of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Singh Puri from the Indian side and Brune Poirson, the Minister of State, attached to the Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition from the French side.

An agreement between India and France was signed regarding the exchange and reciprocal protection of classified or protected information. It defines the common security regulations applicable to any exchange of classified and protected information.

The agreement was exchanged by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval from the Indian side and Philippe Etienne, Diplomatic Adviser to the French President Emmanuel Macron from the French side.

An Implementing arrangement between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Central National D'EtudesSpatiales (CNES) was signed by India and France for pre-formulation studies of a maritime awareness mission. The agreement would provide an end-to-end solution for detection, identification and monitoring of vessels in the regions of interest for France and India.

The agreement was exchanged by K. Sivan, Secretary, Department of Space and Chairman, ISRO from the Indian side and Jean-Yves Le Gall, President, CNES from the French side.

An industrial way forward agreement between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and EDF, France was signed by the two sides. The agreement prescribes a way forward for the implementation of the Jaitapur nuclear power project.

The agreement was exchanged by Sekhar Basu, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy from the Indian side and Jean-Bernard Levy, CEO, EDF from the French side.

A bilateral arrangement between India and France was signed on cooperation in the matter of hydrography and maritime cartography. It will encourage cooperation between the two countries in the field of hydrography, nautical documentation and maritime safety information.

The agreement was exchanged between Vinay Kwatra, the Ambassador of India to France and Alexander Ziegler, the Ambassador of France to India.

A credit facility agreement between India and France of 100 million euros was signed by India and France for funding of the Smart City projects. The agreement will help fill the funding gap under the Smart City Mission and the funds provided by the Central and State Governments for the purpose.

It was exchanged between Vinay Kwatra, the Ambassador of India to France and Alexander Ziegler, the Ambassador of France to India.

A MoU between National Institute of Solar Energy (NISE) and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy and the National Solar Energy Institute (INES), France was signed between the two sides.

With this agreement, both countries shall work on projects in International Solar Alliance (ISA) member countries in the areas of solar energy (solar photovoltaic, storage technologies, etc.) through the transfer of technology and collaborative activities.

The agreement was exchanged between Vinay Kwatra, the Ambassador of India to France and Daniel Verwaerde, Administrator of the Commission for Atomic and Alternate Energy (CEA) from the French side.

President Macron is currently on a four-day visit to India. (ANI)