French president Francois Hollande embarked on a fresh push on Thursday to clinch a $12-billion sale of Rafale fighter jets as he held talks in India on his first visit to Asia since taking office.
The Socialist president was accompanied by a delegation of five ministers including foreign minister Laurent Fabius and defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and the chiefs of more than 60 top French companies.
The trip is aimed at building on the “strategic Indo-French partnership launched 15 years ago”, a French official said.
It marks Hollande’s first visit to Asia since taking office in May and both Indian and French officials say that the mission underscores the importance France attaches to ties with the world’s second-fastest growing major economy. An Indian foreign ministry official said “our relations are growing fast in all sectors, in economic, industrial and commercial spheres.”
Hollande is being given a red-carpet welcome and will hold talks with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other ministers before travelling to financial hub Mumbai where he will meet some of the country’s biggest business leaders. The corporate bosses reflect the wide gamut of French firms interested in export opportunities in India’s vast market – from luxury goods maker LVMH to aerospace giant EADS, which owns Airbus.
Hollande will be lobbying hard for the $12-billion (9.6-billion euro) deal France’s Dassault Aviation hopes to clinch to sell 126 Rafale warplanes. Dassault chief executive Eric Trappier is also part of french delegation.
Another major project for discussion is a contract for Areva to build a 9,900-megawatt nuclear power plant in the western coastal state of Maharashtra. The $9.3-billion framework agreement was signed during a visit to India in 2010 by Hollande’s predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy.
India said this week it is “fully committed” to the French-assisted Jaitapur nuclear plant but conceded there are “issues pertaining to cost”.
