India and France announce ‘special global strategic partnership’

New Delhi and Paris have signed 20 agreements covering defense, trade, and critical minerals

India and France on Tuesday said they have upgraded their bilateral relationship to a “special global strategic partnership.”

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held summit-level talks in the western Indian city of Mumbai, where the two nations signed 20 agreements covering defense, trade, and critical minerals.

“We both believe in strategic autonomy,” Macron said at a joint press briefing with Modi. He added that they had discussed greater defense ties in their talks. “But, there are many other areas in which our thinking is shared thinking, such as the field of space,” the French president said.

After their talks, the leaders virtually inaugurated the first ‘Made in India’ final assembly line for a Tata-Airbus H125 Helicopter.

❗️ PM Modi & President Macron Virtually Inaugurate First 'Made In India' Final Assembly Line for Tata-Airbus H125 Helicopter https://t.co/AfJHGawtz0 pic.twitter.com/inQc0N3qm8

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) February 17, 2026

“This partnership is not just strategic, but is a partnership for global stability and global progress in today’s turbulent times,” Modi said at their joint briefing.

Among the 20 agreements signed is the “reciprocal deployment of officers at Indian Army and French Land Forces establishments.” New Delhi and Paris added that they extended an existing agreement on defense cooperation.

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India and France also signed a joint declaration of intent for cooperation in critical minerals and metals.

Modi and Macron launched the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health, the Indo-French Centre for Digital Science and Technology, and the National Centre of Alliance for Skilling in Aeronautics. Modi called them “future-building platforms.”

France is India’s third largest trading partner in the European Union, after Germany and the Netherlands. Bilateral trade between India and France hit $15 billion in 2025.

On Tuesday, the two countries also held talks about further Indian purchases of Rafale fighters.

Macron, who arrived in Mumbai on Monday night, was seen jogging in the heart of India’s financial capital. He will go to Delhi on Wednesday to take part in the AI Impact Summit, where he will be joined by the presidents of Brazil, Serbia, and Sri Lanka, as well as the CEOs of companies such as OpenAI and Google.