India and France committed themselves to closer ties, especially in business and combating terrorism, just hours after French President Francois Hollande began his three-day visit to India here on Sunday and Prime Minister Narendra Modi broke protocol to welcome him.
Addressing the India-France Business Summit, Modi said India and France had huge potential to work together in various fields.
Modi pitched for investment in India by French companies, saying India had a lot to offer in terms of skilled workforce and as a market for French products.
"We want to work closely with France... The world has accepted India as a good investment destination. India's talent and the manufacturing (skills) of France can achieve a lot. The trust and friendship with France is an asset for us," Modi said in his address.
"India is the fastest growing economy in the world. We have the labour and the market for your products," Modi said at the India-France chief executives meeting along with Hollande, according to a tweet by external affairs ministry spokesman Vikas Swarup.
Hollande, who will be the chief guest at India's 67th Republic Day parade in New Delhi on Tuesday, said: "Chandigarh is a very beautiful city... It's a gift from Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier to India. I welcome the idea of being called here."
He said France will sign an inter-governmental agreement with India to clear the way for the long-awaited $9 billion deal to sell French-built Rafale warplanes to India.
"The idea we have in mind is the one of an inter-governmental agreement between the two countries in order to allow the firms involved to go all the way," Hollande told journalists.
"It is this inter-governmental agreement that will allow a commercial transaction," he said.
"India needs them and France has shown that it has the world's best aircraft. The commercial contract can only come after the inter-governmental accord... which will be discussed during my visit," Hollande said.
"Had a fruitful meeting with CEOs in Chandigarh," Modi tweeted, adding that he had met Hollande five times in the past year.
Sixteen agreements, including one to develop Chandigarh as a smart city, were signed.
"Defence, green economy, smart cities, infrastructure, transportation, water and financial sector on the agenda of the Indo-French CEO's Forum," Vikas Swarup tweeted.
CEOs of 25 Indian and French companies attended the business summit.
Modi earlier received Hollande at the Rock Garden, after the president flew into the city created by French architect Le Corbusier to start his three-day official visit to India.
"Glad to welcome Hollande in the city built by the great Le Corbusier," Modi tweeted.
At the Rock Garden, Modi and Hollande greeted each other with a warm handshake and a hug on a wintry afternoon.
Both took a round of a section of the Rock Garden, which was created entirely from waste material by its founder Nek Chand.
They then proceeded towards the Capitol Complex, designed and built by Corbusier, and the Government Museum and Art Gallery in Sector 10.
Earlier, Hollande was received at the Chandigarh airport by Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher besides senior officers.
"A warm welcome to Hollande. We are honoured and delighted to have him as chief guest for Republic Day celebrations," Modi said earlier. "We will build on the ground covered during our previous interactions."
Hollande was given a colourful welcome at the airport by 'Gidda' and 'Bhangra' dancers of Punjab.
The French president headed from the airport to Hotel Taj, where he stayed (in between) during his nearly six-hour stopover in the city.
Chandigarh was put under maximum security cover ahead of the arrival of the French president.
MODI, HOLLANDE VISIT CHANDIGARH MUSEUM, ART GALLERY
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Francois Hollande on Sunday together visited the Government Museum and Art Gallery after the latter's arrival here on a three-day official visit to India.
“The two leaders viewed the displays of archaeological findings from the foothills of the Himalayas which suggest human activity possibly dating back to 2.6 million years ago, making them among the oldest known remnants of human existence,” a statement issued by the external affairs ministry in New Delhi stated.
“This significant discovery is the result of seven years of extensive research and collaboration between the Prehistory Department of the National Museum of Natural History of France and the Society of Archaeological and Anthropological Research of Chandigarh undertaken under the auspices of an 'Agreement of Collaboration between Society for Archaeological & Anthropological Research, India and French National Museum of Natural History',” it added.
According to the statement, the archaeological discovery comprises about 1500 fossil finds, including 200 quartzite tools collected from several locations spread over 50 acres of area in Masol region near Chandigarh.
“The research work relating to this archaeological discovery is being published in the form of articles in the Palevol Review,” it stated.
Modi and Hollande congratulated the Indo-French team for their joint research work leading to this discovery and underlined “that this example of successful bilateral collaboration illustrated the long-standing cultural ties and enduring collaboration between India and France in rediscovering, preserving and promoting our shared cultural heritage”.
“They hoped that such discoveries would lend further momentum for more joint endeavours in the future,” the ministry statement said.
Located in the heart of city which was designed by French architect Le Corbusier, the museum and the gallery houses part of the collection of art objects, paintings, sculptures and decorative arts that were kept in the Central Museum, Lahore, the then capital of Punjab, prior to Partition in 1947.
On April 10, 1948, the collection was divided. While Pakistan retained 60 percent of the objects, the remaining 40 percent fell in the share of India. Received in the month of April,1949, this collection was first housed in Amritsar, then Shimla, Patiala and finally shifted to Chandigarh where the museum and gallery were inaugurated on May 6, 1968.
Earlier, Modi met Hollande at the Rock Garden here and the two leaders took a tour of the famous landmark created by Nek Chand.
The two leaders then visited the Capitol Complex here which houses the seats of governments of both Punjab and Haryana.
During his brief stay in Chandigarh on Saturday, Hollande, along with Modi, will also attend a CEOs' Forum and the India-France Business Summit.
In the evening, the visiting dignitary will leave for New Delhi, where he will attend this year's Republic Day parade on Tuesday as the chief guest.
On Monday, Hollande and Modi will hold a bilateral dialogue following which a number of agreements are scheduled to be signed.
The two leaders will inaugurate the Interim Secretariat of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) and lay the foundation-stone of the ISA headquarters near New Delhi.
On Tuesday Hollande will attend the Republic Day parade on Rajpath as chief guest, becoming the fifth serving French president to do so.
CHANDIGARH, PUDUCHERRY, NAGPUR ON FRANCE'S SMART CITY RADAR
French President Francois Hollande on Sunday began the economic leg of his three-day visit to India, offering his country's assistance in the development of at least three smart cities -- Chandigarh, Puducherry and Nagpur.
The announcement came during two back-to-back meetings which the visiting head of state, along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, held here with the corporate leaderships of the two countries. The first meeting was with the Indo-French CEOs Forum.
Following the first economic engagement, the two leaders then attended the larger India-France Business Summit hosted by India's Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and the Confederation of Indian Industry.
The businesses of the two sides also signed 16 pacts mainly in urban development and clean energy, but also covering one agreement on aerospace between the French giant Airbus and India's Mahindras.
Addressing the meeting with the Indo-French CEO's Forum, Prime Minister Modi said India today presented immense opportunities to the global investing community both as a market and a hub for manufacturing.
"India is the fastest growing economy in the world. We have the labour and the market for your products," Modi said. "India is also a source of hope and confidence for the entire world community," he said adding that the investment climate had also improved considerably.
Modi, who recalled having met the French president five times last year, also said that France's greatest strength has been innovation, which can fit well with India's talent. "This kind of partnership can achieve a lot."
Hollande, on his part, said his visit here had two main goals -- consolidating the strategic partnership with India in a host of areas, including security, and implementing the climate change goals that were set forth in the global conference in Paris last year.
"Without the intervention of Prime Minister Modi on climate justice, there would have been no agreement," the French president said referring to what is formally called a meeting of the Conference of Parties under UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
"France will contribute in the development of Indian smart cities of Chandigarh, Nagpur and Puducherry," the French president said. He had already declared a $2.25-billion line of credit for the "Smart Cities" project of Prime Minister Modi.
Chandigargh already has a French connection, having been planned by noted French architect Le Corbusier. Puducherry has been a former French enclave. And in Nagpur, the French are also interested in the city's metro and the upcoming strategic industry in its vicinity.
Big French firms like Alstom, Dassault, Egis, Lumiplan, RATP Transdev and Schneider are interested in the Smart Cities Mission. High-profile visits have already been made last year to Puducherry (September 10), Chandigarh (October 12) and Nagpur (December 16-17).
Some 30 business leaders from the two sides attended the half-hour meeting of the Indo-French CEO's Forum, which was formed in 2009 to identify new avenues to push bilateral economic ties between the two countries.
The agenda for discussions included defence, green economy, smart cities, infrastructure, transportation, water and financial sector. Hollande is in India as this year's chief guest for its Republic Day on January 26.
Besides talks with the Indian leadership, his engagement includes the inauguration of the International Solar Alliance secretariat at National Institute of Solar Energy at Gwal Pahari, on the Gurgaon-Faridabad Road, along with Modi.
The alliance of 122 nations was announced by Modi and Hollande in Paris on November 30.
According to the available data, French investments in India total around $19 billion, giving jobs to 280,000 jobs, while the stock of Indian investments in France is some $700 million with 7,000 jobs. The bilateral trade is around $8 billion, skewed in India's favour.
