New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron will jointly inaugurate the Indian consulate in Marseille on 12th February during the former’s France visit next week. The announcement that India will open the consulate in Marseille, a city in the south of France, on the Mediterranean coast was made during PM Modi’s visit to France in 2023.
PM Modi, during his address to the Indian community in La Seine Musicale in 2023, made the announcement of India opening the consulate in Marseille, saying it will strengthen Indo-French ties. Overall, the consulate will cater to the growing Indian diaspora in southern France, in places like Marseille city itself, Toulouse, and the Rhône-Alpes region. Opening of the consulate, India’s second diplomatic mission after the embassy in France, will help in accessible consular services, including reducing the need for long journeys to Paris for them.
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During their visit to Marseille, both the leaders are expected to meet stakeholders from the Port of Marseille and other sectors. Marseille’s port, the Port of Marseille-Fos, is the largest port in France and one of the largest in the Mediterranean. It handles a significant portion of France’s import and export activities, serving as a gateway for goods moving between Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and Asia. The port manages various types of cargo, including oil, containers, bulk goods, and cruise ships. The oil terminal at Fos-sur-Mer is particularly vital for the importation of petroleum products for France and neighboring countries.
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Modi and Macron will also visit the Mazargues Cemetery to pay homage to the Indian soldiers who fought in World War I and have been commemorated at the location.
Approximately 900 plus Indians from WWI are commemorated here, making it one of the largest concentrations of Indian war graves in France. Notably, Marseilles was the base of the Indian troops in France during World War 1, and an Indian Memorial to honour the fallen Indian soldiers was unveiled by Field Marshal Sir William Birdwood in July 1925.
PM Modi had also visited Neuve-Chapelle Memorial in Lille in 2015 and paid homage to the 10,000 Indian soldiers who had died in World War I.
Both the leaders are expected to travel to ITER (the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) in Saint-Paul-lès-Durance. ITER aims to demonstrate nuclear fusion as a clean green source of unlimited energy. India is a partner in this major global collaboration to master fusion energy technology and has officially joined the project in 2005, becoming the seventh partner. India has contributed to its critical parts like cryostats, cooling water systems, and cryolines.
The Indian Prime Minister will be in France next week to attend the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit in Paris that will take place on February 10th and 11th. The summit aims to facilitate discussions on AI with significant global powers and focus on global AI governance.
During the visit, there is a likelihood of the announcement or confirmation of two significant defence deals between India and France worth billions of dollars, which include the purchase of 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers and three additional Scorpene-class submarines.