India-France Strategic Partnership
Historical Evolution
India and France established their first formal strategic partnership in January 1998, making France the first country with which India entered such an arrangement — a landmark in India's post-Cold War foreign policy. The partnership was significantly catalyzed by France's non-condemnatory stance toward India's 1998 nuclear tests (Pokhran-II), when then-President Jacques Chirac described India's exclusion from the global nuclear order as an anomaly. In 2023, ties were further upgraded with the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, setting out a 25-year bilateral vision. The February 2026 visit marks another upgrade to "Special Global Strategic Partnership" — placing France in India's highest diplomatic tier.
- India-France strategic partnership established: January 1998 (India's first such partnership)
- Three traditional pillars: Defence cooperation, space cooperation, civil nuclear cooperation
- Rafale deal: 36 aircraft contracted in 2016 (in addition to 6 Scorpène submarines from 2005)
- Mirage 2000 modernization contracts: 2011-2012 (51 aircraft in service since 1984)
- Horizon 2047 Roadmap: Adopted 14 July 2023 (Bastille Day)
- Current upgrade: "Special Global Strategic Partnership" (February 2026)
- France was the first country to sign a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with India (post-NSG waiver)
● Tracked since February 10, 2026 · last seen July 04, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes