New Delhi: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian, who is on a three day official visit to New Delhi.
![External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday met the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Yves Le Drian](https://etvbharatimages.akamaized.net/etvbharat/prod-images/indo-euties_13042021181603_1304f_1618317963_1091.jpg)
Significance
An expert opines that the French FM visit to India is taking place at a very crucial time when neighbouring Pakistan is making a big hue and cry against French President Macron’s support for satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo showing a ‘blasphemous’ Prophet Mohammed cartoon.
Speaking to ETV Bharat, India’s Former ambassador Jitendra Tripathi said, “It is a very important visit and not a regular one because Indo-Pacific is heating up and the pressure on China is building up. It acquires additional importance from countries like France. Moreover, the French FM's visit to India is taking place at a very crucial time when neighbouring Pakistan is making a big hue and cry against French President Macron’s support for satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo showing a ‘blasphemous’ Prophet Mohammed cartoon.
Read: French Foreign Minister to visit India, discuss bilateral issues
“French fanatics have already demanded that Pak should cease relations with France. Therefore, in that context, the French Foreign Minister's visit to India is even more important”, he added. It is pertinent to note that on Monday, thousands of protestors clashed with police in Lahore in Pakistan, during a demonstration against President Macron's support for a magazine showing a 'blasphemous' Prophet Mohammed cartoon. The anti-French sentiment is running high in Pakistan for months now.
After the bilateral talks, EAM Jaishankar said in a tweet, "A comfortable, substantive and productive discussion with FM @JY_LeDrian. India and France will advance their shared post- COVID agenda through close collaboration”.
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A comfortable, substantive and productive discussion with FM @JY_LeDrian. India and France will advance their shared post-COVID agenda through close collaboration. pic.twitter.com/JcyJgRSDnD
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 13, 2021 " class="align-text-top noRightClick twitterSection" data="
">A comfortable, substantive and productive discussion with FM @JY_LeDrian. India and France will advance their shared post-COVID agenda through close collaboration. pic.twitter.com/JcyJgRSDnD
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 13, 2021A comfortable, substantive and productive discussion with FM @JY_LeDrian. India and France will advance their shared post-COVID agenda through close collaboration. pic.twitter.com/JcyJgRSDnD
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) April 13, 2021
The visit of the French Minister comes at a time when India is stepping up efforts to counter China’s growing assertiveness in the Indo-Pacific region.
India-EU partnership
“France being an important country in EU set up will certainly play a big role, because, under the leadership of Germany, the European Union had already issued a vision document for EU’s involvement in Indo-Pacific. That way France becomes automatically involved in Indo-Pacific and France needs to have India’s support”, Tripathi pointed out.
The very fact that France as a member of the European Union has always supported the EU’s vision on Indo Pacific, secondly, France is already a member of the India-France-Australia trilateral and thirdly, France is a strategic partner of India. France involvement in Indo-Pacific will be greater day by day, he added.