France Broadens Maritime Pact With India Ahead of Slovakia Talks
slovakia appeared on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s travel agenda as France proposed a broader maritime security partnership with India ahead of his bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G7 Summit. The proposal includes possible Indian participation in a multinational initiative aimed at freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
French diplomatic sources in New Delhi said the Modi-Macron discussions were expected to cover defence cooperation, maritime security, military hardware and developments in West Asia. Sibi George told the media that when Modi and Macron meet, “All issues of interest — global issues — including the developments in West Asia will be discussed.”
France and India at the G7 Summit
France is working with a group of partner nations on maritime security in the Strait of Hormuz amid rising regional tensions. India is expected to be among the countries invited to join that initiative, placing New Delhi inside a wider security conversation about one of the world’s most strategically important shipping corridors.
The planned Modi-Macron meeting gives France a chance to test how far India will go on a broader partnership that reaches beyond bilateral defence ties. For India, the invitation would add a maritime security track to a summit agenda already covering trade, visas and West Asia, even as the G7 setting brings together leaders from India, the United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for a separate West Asia-focused meeting on the margins.
West Asia on Modi's agenda
The friction point is West Asia itself. France’s push comes as it seeks partners for a multinational effort in the Strait of Hormuz, while India’s talks with Macron are expected to fold that subject into a wider discussion of defence cooperation and military hardware. The Ministry of External Affairs briefed the media about Modi’s upcoming travel plans for France and Slovakia, placing the French stop inside a broader diplomatic itinerary.
That leaves the immediate next step in the bilateral channel: Modi and Macron are scheduled to hold their talks at the G7 Summit, where West Asia, maritime security and related defence questions are set to come up together rather than in separate tracks.
