14 juillet 2024 - French National Day

Honourable Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Labour and Employment,
Dear Minister of State for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Minister of State for Education
Excellencies,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Chers compatriotes
Namaste, Good Evening, Bonsoir

One year ago, the Prime Minister of India was on the Champs Elysée in Paris as the Chief Guest of the French National Day. Earlier this year it was the French President’s turn to be the Chief Guest of the 75th Republic Day of India, the 6th time in history that a French leader has had this privilege. For the two leaders to be the Guests of Honour at their respective National Days in succession, was unprecedented and a high point in the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between France and India.

One year ago, our leaders unveiled the Horizon 2047 Roadmap to set an ambitious and broad-ranging course for the bilateral relationship between France and India. I am happy to report that both our nations are more than ever committed to accelerating our partnership across the three broad pillars of our bilateral cooperation:

    1 First, a Partnership for Peace and Prosperity, which has become the cornerstone of our joint vision for the Indo-Pacific region and the raison d’être of our shared quest for sovereignty and strategic autonomy. This has led us to implement an ambitious security and defence cooperation, notably based on industrial partnerships in accordance with the “Make in India” principles and on the intensification of joint military exercises;

    2 Second, a much-needed Partnership for the Planet, which will lead us in the coming weeks and months to actively work together on the preparation of the Summit for Artificial Intelligence Action to be held in Paris in February 2025, and the United Nations Ocean Conference taking place in Nice in June next year. As co-chair with India of both the International Solar Alliance and the CDRI, France is committed to delivering with India on critical issues such as energy transition and sustainable infrastructures, including in the context of the ambitious IMEC project;

    3 Third, our Partnership for the People, based on an unprecedented agenda to diversify and intensify our cooperation in fields like student mobility, scientific exchanges, and culture – as illustrated by the success of our Artists Residence Programme, Villa Swagatam, and by the progress of our partnership on the National Museum of India project, the largest of its kind in the world.

We are resolutely looking towards the future. In this regard, I am proud of the decision of our leaders to declare 2026 as the India-France Year of Innovation, a project we are actively working on.

Innovation is also the key word of the upcoming Olympic Games. Being creative and yet remaining accessible to a large audience is the challenge France wishes to meet for this exceptional event. In 14 days, France will welcome the world. On 26 July, the Opening Ceremony will be bold, original and unique. For the first time in the history of the Olympic Summer Games, this Ceremony will not take place within a stadium, but out in the city itself, along the main artery of Paris: the Seine River, a symbol of our eagerness to reach out to all.

To illustrate the values France wants to promote internationally: (not only innovation, but also sustainability, solidarity and equality), the President of the French Republic and the President of the IOC will co-chair a Summit on the eve of the Games’ Opening Ceremony to highlight the contribution of sports to SDGs with the objective of launching a global "sport and sustainable development" initiative across five areas: education and employment, health and nutrition, equality and inclusion, sustainability and legacy, and financing.

This Summit will host some 500 participants, including heads of state and government, leaders of international organisations, athletes and representatives of the Sports Movement, as well as development finance institutions, and will be supported by the French Development Agency Group, which has been strongly committed to these issues, including in India.

The Olympic and Paralympic Games will also be an opportunity to spread messages of peace and fraternity at a time when war is still raging in Ukraine following Russia’s brutal aggression, and when we are underlining the urgency of restoring hope for peace and security in the Middle East.

It will be indeed a unique way to promote understanding across cultures as envisioned by French educator and historian Pierre de Coubertin, known as the father of the modern Olympic Games

Supporting the values of sports and healthy life, which will be central to the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is also behind a new dimension recently added to the France-India partnership through a Letter of Intent on Cooperation in the field of Sports. I am very proud to welcome today as our guests of honour, alongside the Union Minister, a prestigious delegation of the Indian Olympic and Paralympic Committees, together with athletes and stakeholders from the sports world in India.

Recognizing the importance of strengthening sports cooperation, we are determined to boost youth exchanges and ties between economic actors of the sports industry. In this context, France will be more than happy to share its experience of hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in view of India’s bid to host the Games in 2036.

To conclude, I wish to thank all those who contribute to the dynamism of the relations between our two nations, first and foremost our Indian friends, especially the Indian authorities. I also wish to thank the French community for its role in the momentum of our longstanding friendship with India. I would now like to say a few words in French to my fellow citizens.

Je voudrais remercier très sincèrement tous ceux qui contribuent à la richesse et à la diversité de la présence française en Inde : les Conseillers des Français de l’étranger, les conseillers du commerce extérieur qui organiseront cette année leur grand évènement indopacifique à New Delhi; la chambre de commerce et d’industrie franco-indienne ; l’ensemble des entrepreneurs ; le monde associatif impliqué notamment dans l’humanitaire; mais aussi les écoles françaises ; le réseau des alliances françaises en Inde, nos centres de recherche et l’ensemble de la communauté française.

I am very optimistic about the future of the relations between France and India considering the motivation and the diversity of the players involved. I also wish to express my confidence in the development of the relations between India and the European Union.

The Indo-French partnership is already a winning team. “Faster, Higher, Stronger - Together” is the motto of the Olympics. It is also the ambition of our partnership with India. I am sure that the France-India team will score even more in the coming years.

In the meantime, I wish the very best to all the Indian and French athletes competing in the upcoming Olympics and Paralympics.

Vive les Jeux ! Long live the Indo-French friendship!