Paris, June 3
French Foreign Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin on Tuesday reaffirmed the "conviction" that France is one of "India's best economic partners" after his meeting with Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal in Paris.
The minister highlighted the potential to further strengthen bilateral ties through "reforms, stability, innovation, and enhanced market access to the EU and Indian markets."
"With my Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal, I reaffirmed a conviction: France is one of India's best economic partners... Reforms, stability, innovation, access to EU and India markets: there's everything to strengthen our bilateral relationship," Saint-Martin stated in a post on X.
Following his meeting with Goyal, Saint-Martin also expressed optimism about the ongoing India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, anticipating a possible agreement in the coming weeks or months. "It's important to demonstrate that we believe in free trade, not trade wars," he stressed.
"Minister Goyal arrived with a strong business delegation - over 50 companies, which is significant. At a time when global trade is facing challenges, we believe it's crucial for India and France to strengthen their ties... The European Union and India are progressing toward a Free Trade Agreement, and as a member of the European Commission, we fully support this... I'm optimistic that we could see an agreement in the coming weeks or months... It's important to demonstrate that we believe in free trade, not trade wars," the French Minister told reporters.
He emphasised the importance of fostering deeper cross-border trade and investments between the two nations.
"At the same time, we must foster deeper bilateral relations between France and India, which means enhancing cross-investments, more cross-border trade... All the friendship that President Macron and PM Modi have will, of course, help our bilateral relations to go deeper now," he added.
Earlier on Monday, the Union Minister held a productive meeting with French Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty, Eric Lombard, focusing on deepening the India-France economic partnership with an emphasis on trade, investments, and technology cooperation.
The discussions, which took place during Goyal's three-day official visit to France, also reviewed the progress of the India-EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations, signalling a strong intent to bolster bilateral ties amidst a shared commitment to innovation and economic growth.
"Held a productive meeting with Eric Lombard, French Minister of Economy, Finance, and Industrial and Digital Sovereignty. Exchanged views on deepening our economic partnership, enhancing trade & investments with a special focus on technology and innovation across key sectors. Also discussed the progress of the India-EU FTA negotiations. Looking forward to stronger India-France economic ties," Goyal said in a post on X.
He also expressed optimism that India could finalise its Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the European Union (EU) ahead of the year-end deadline, citing minimal divergences between the two economic blocs.
Goyal also held a series of high-level meetings in Paris with top French CEOs to explore new opportunities for India's growth across key sectors such as renewable energy, automobile manufacturing, electric vehicles (EVs), and consumer products.
The minister commenced his three-day official visit to Paris on Sunday as part of his ongoing visit to France and Italy from 1 to 5 June 2025.
- ANI
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