India and France have set a target to double their bilateral trade to $32 billion within five years, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron held talks on bolstering their strategic partnership and cooperation in key sectors.
The two leaders discussed ways to enhance cooperation in defence, technology, space, security, counter-terrorism, innovation, healthcare, and education, and agreed to establish a high-level mechanism to achieve the ambitious trade target.
India and France will also work closely on civil nuclear energy, with the two leaders noting that India's SHANTI Act creates new opportunities for collaboration, including on small and advanced modular reactors.
Modi and Macron also discussed global issues such as the situation in West Asia and the war in Ukraine, and agreed to strengthen their cooperation on these issues.
The two leaders signed 19 agreements between institutions in the innovation ecosystems of India and France, and discussed ways to enhance mobility of talent and students, and expanding the mutual recognition of educational qualifications.
