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Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron astatine the G7 Summit, France has projected a broader maritime information concern with India, including information successful a multinational inaugural aimed astatine ensuring state of navigation successful the Strait of Hormuz.
French diplomatic sources said successful New Delhi connected Thursday (June 11, 2026) discussions betwixt the 2 leaders are expected to screen a wide scope of issues, including defence cooperation, maritime security, subject hardware and developments successful West Asia.
According to the sources, France is moving with a radical of spouse nations to guarantee maritime information and state of navigation successful the strategically important Strait of Hormuz amid rising determination tensions. India is expected to beryllium among the countries invited to articulation the initiative.
The sources besides revealed that leaders from India, the United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are expected to enactment successful a West Asia-focused gathering connected the margins of the G7 Summit.
Briefing the media astir Prime Minister Modi's upcoming question plans for France and Slovakia, Secretary (West) Sibi George of the Ministry of External Affairs said that erstwhile Mr. Modi and Mr. Macron meet, "All issues of involvement — planetary issues — including the developments successful West Asia volition beryllium discussed."
Hinting astatine the French connection connected moving with a radical of spouse countries for the Strait of Hormuz, helium said "new announcements being made by assorted sides" volition beryllium discussed arsenic well.
The Modi-Macron gathering is expected to reappraisal advancement successful strategical practice crossed defence, security, exertion and planetary governance portion besides exchanging views connected cardinal determination and planetary developments.
Addressing concerns implicit the evolving information concern successful the region, French diplomatic sources stressed the value of maintaining unfastened oversea lanes and uninterrupted maritime trade. "We emphasise escaped navigation. We are not portion of the war, but it has an interaction connected each of us," the sources said, underlining the planetary economical and information implications of instability successful the Gulf region.
On India's invitation to the G7 Summit, the sources described New Delhi arsenic a cardinal strategical spouse for France.
"India is simply a apical precedence for us; we person a peculiar relationship. India has joined each the G7 tracks," the sources said. The French broadside besides highlighted the increasing extent of bilateral ties, describing the narration arsenic 1 marked by a precocious grade of communal spot and confidence.
"We person reached a level of spot and assurance wherever it is casual for some of america to speech astir anything," the sources said, adding that France is intimately pursuing India's expanding planetary role, including its upcoming BRICS chairmanship and the bequest of its palmy G20 Presidency.
Mr. George further said that defence-related announcements volition beryllium made during PM Modi's sojourn to Slovakia during June 14-16. "We person been engaging with Slovakia successful the defence assemblage implicit the past respective years. There has been a adjacent engagement. This sojourn would assistance america instrumentality this narration to a caller precocious level of engagement," Mr. George said, adding that determination volition beryllium "specific areas that volition beryllium discussed and covered" during Mr. Modi's sojourn to Slovakia.
