India, France commit to further deepening cooperation in digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity, startup, AI

India and France reaffirmed the growing strategic importance of cyberspace in bilateral relationship and underscored the role of bilateral cyber dialogue in deepening cyber cooperation.

New Delhi:India, France have committed to further deepening their cooperation in areas such as digital public infrastructure, cybersecurity, Startup, AI, supercomputing, 5G/6G telecom and digital skills development. The two countries have recognised the rapid advancement and transformation in digital technologies and have agreed to harness their respective strengths and philosophical convergence in their approaches to digitalisation, according to the India-France joint statement after the delegation-level talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.

India, France have, in line with the Indo-French Road map on Cyber security and Digital Technology, reaffirmed their commitment to join forces of their cyber-security agencies and related ecosystem partners in promoting a peaceful, secure and open cyberspace. The two countries have recognised the far-reaching potential of startups in driving innovation, job creation, and economic growth, both countries emphasize upon their shared commitment to facilitate bilateral cooperation through enhanced connectivity between their respective Start up and entrepreneurial networks, according to India-France bilateral document “Horizon 2047: 25th Anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Towards A Century of India-France Relations”.

India, France have also committed to nurturing a thriving ecosystem and building collaborations that empowers their citizens and ensures their full participation in the digital century. In this spirit, NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL) and France’s Lyra Collect, last week, executed an agreement to implement Unified Payment Interface (UPI) in France and Europe.

The payment mechanism is in its last phase of production and will go live by September, 2023 with the iconic Eiffel Tower, Paris as the first merchant in France to accept UPI. With a shared belief in the power of a Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) approach for the development of open, free, democratic and inclusive digital economies and digital societies, India and France have advanced multi-stakeholder exchanges through the InFrastructures (India France Structures) and InFinity (India France Innovation in Information Technology) platforms.

The joint statement read: “We celebrate the progress that has been made through the coming together of our two digital ecosystems and recognise how these joint projects in DPI can have far reaching impact across multiple sectors.” The DPI approach leverages technology, markets and governance to empower citizens, catalyse economic and social transformation, improve public service delivery and promote market competitiveness for sovereign and sustainable digital solutions, also contributing towards achieving sustainable development goals.

Both countries reaffirmed the growing strategic importance of cyberspace in bilateral relationship and underscored the role of bilateral cyber dialogue in deepening cyber cooperation. They appreciated each other’s views on the UN cyber processes that are in progress in the First and Third Committees and committed to work closely together on the matters of mutual interest, the statement informed further. (ANI)