&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "French Ambassador Mathou hails ties with India, emphasises on innovation linkages")
France’s Ambassador to India, Thierry Mathou, has described 2026 as a landmark year for bilateral ties, declaring the India-France Year of Innovation a major boost to the “Special Global Strategic Partnership”.
Speaking at Bastille Day celebrations in India, Ambassador Mathou praised the rapid momentum in relations, just months after the Year of Innovation was officially launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai on 17 February.
“In just seven months, our leaders have already met through two official visits,” he said. President Macron’s February trip to Mumbai and Delhi included the launch of the Year of Innovation and the AI Impact Summit, building on the Paris AI Action Summit co-chaired by India in 2025. In June, Mr Modi made his seventh visit to France, with innovation again at the heart of discussions at events including the Bharat Innovates forum in Nice and VivaTech in Paris.
The ambassador highlighted deepening multilateral cooperation, noting PM Modi’s participation in the G7 Summit in Évian, the same venue where India was first invited to the grouping's meeting by France in 2003.
He also welcomed broader India-EU ties, pointing to the European Union’s role as Guest of Honour at India’s Republic Day and the recent announcement of a long-awaited free trade agreement. Ambassador Mathou outlined four key priorities shaping the partnership under the Horizon 2047 Roadmap: innovation, sovereignty, addressing global challenges, and people-to-people ties.
“Innovation is not simply the theme of this year; it is increasingly the way we work together,” he said. More than 100 events have connected universities, start-ups, research centres and businesses across both nations. A flagship initiative is the Indo-French Innovation Network, a digital platform launched by the two leaders in Mumbai to foster long-term collaboration.
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On sovereignty, the ambassador stressed the depth of defence cooperation, describing it as “a powerful illustration of our mutual trust and respect”. France supports “Make in India” through co-production, with recent milestones including Safran’s LEAP engine centre in Hyderabad and Tata’s Airbus H125 helicopter assembly plant in Bengaluru.
He noted that sovereignty today also encompasses strategic autonomy, economic security and technological excellence. “In a world marked by growing uncertainty, France and India are working together across all these areas because strategic autonomy does not mean standing alone,” he added.
The two countries continue to collaborate on AI governance, climate action, the International Solar Alliance and disaster resilience. At the G7 in Évian, France pushed for deeper engagement with India on development finance, global health and protecting children in the AI age.
People-to-people links remain fundamental. Ambassador Mathou recalled the largest-ever Indo-French academic gatherings in Delhi in February and new university partnerships. France is committed to hosting 30,000 Indian students by 2030. This autumn, India will host the Women’s Forum for the Economy & Society in Mumbai for the first time.
