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“Indo-French relationship is much more mature now”

— Photo: Sushanta Patronobish

Dominique Girard: “Regarding the international responsibilities of the two countries, the world is only becoming more complex and difficult and it makes even more sense to have a deep relationship.”

How do you see the future of the Indo-French relationship now that you have a new President in Nicolas Sarkozy?

The change in Presidency in France coincides with a new stage in [the] Indo-French relationship. It is now much more mature. Our new President belongs to another generation; he is someone who is convinced that we have to have a very broad-based geopolitical approach. He does not have to learn about India as an emerging country; he knows it is there and takes this into account. Also, from this point of view my successor will come here at a time when we have to develop to bring some sort of leap in our relationship on a foundation which is much more solid, much more broad-based, and much more established. That is the huge difference.

In strategic terms we have been very quick to realise that India was becoming one of the major nations of the 21st century. We never have had any reluctance to admit that. We always supported the idea that India should have a specific treatment regarding nuclear issues. Some of our Western partners had some sort of reluctance that we never had. Given its general behaviour we believed that India should be treated in a specific way. But, on other hand, we had a disadvantage compared to the others because of the few weaknesses in the economic sphere. Five years ago India was not prepared for viable economic cooperation. Today such cooperation may be embryonic but it is there. In all sorts of fields you have the same thing. Regarding the international responsibilities of the two countries, the world is only becoming more complex and difficult and it makes even more sense to have a deep relationship and an exchange of consultations.

This is also true in the context of the new start in European construction policy. Thanks to my new President and the German Chancellor, in the last European summit the machine has been set in motion again. It has always been our ambition to convince our Indian friends that relations between the two countries would be better and more productive if we put them in the context of [a] concrete Indo-European relationship.

It is a good question. It never was a problem in a bilateral relationship to have a more or less progressive government in one or the other country. Secondly, the huge novelty which none expected to have happened in France is that Nicolas Sarkozy has brought into his government top ranking personalities coming from the Left, the Socialist parties. Thus the borders have blurred and it is very difficult to imagine that the so-called conservatism will impact more on foreign policy than in other topics.

Maybe in domestic policy he already has taken a few steps aimed at the strengthening of some labour laws, but on foreign policy it will be the reverse. His Foreign Minister is a Socialist. In foreign policy what you have certainly is more than a consensus; people with progressive views are in the government and the political role assigned to them in this de facto coalition means that they will play a role, not be silent and insignificant.

I think it is very good because you have strong President with clear ideas: a man of the future, who naturally involves India, China, and Brazil in his thinking without seeing it as a novelty but as a fact of life. So he will naturally consider India as a partner whereas previously it was a sort of discovery, sort of innovation to include India among the big guys.

It has been to the credit to our previous government to include emerging countries at the big table at the G8 in 2003 when India was there for the first time. At the next G8 meeting, U.S. President George Bush did not invite anybody. But now it has become an established factor. It was a daring movement to include the emerging countries into the procedures. Now these countries assert their right to be there, talk among themselves without necessarily referring to the G8. That is what is exciting in foreign policy. You have something that gets legitimacy on its own impulse. I am proud that my country was the initiator of this movement to bring the emerging countries to talk with the so-called industrialised ones and am happy that this logic is now totally absorbed.

I think you will probably see Nicolas Sarkozy in this part of the world very soon. That will be a wonderful demonstration of not only his personal affection but the legitimacy he gives to entertaining dialogue with India. I will be away but I think it is a consecration of a policy that was innovated and now established and makes for India being a strategic partner of France.

We have a very determined and systematic policy in encouraging Indian investments in France. We were the first western country to open an office in New Delhi to promote investment in France. Technically, I do not see what else we can do to facilitate it further. Politically, our policy is very clear. We do not follow any ideology but the idea of reciprocal interest that is beneficial to both the countries.

Only recently our new President argued within the European Council that the notion of competition is not a value in itself. What is of value is the development of people and the economy.

We are fully engaged in the globalisation phenomenon. We are happy to receive some Indian investments in France. And contrary to some polemic views we are happy despite the hiccups and noises; those do not change the fact that we are welcoming Indian investors as well as those from any other foreign investors. Conversely we are developing our investments in India very quickly.

We have less French investment here than we have in Mumbai, in Bangalore and now in Chennai, but the image has started to change. You have important investments here — in the agro-food business, in hotels and more will be coming.

The problem with West Bengal was that the old policies of the local government were not very attractive but now it is not only France but other countries as well which have had a shift in perceptions because the policies here have changed.

I met your Chief Minister two weeks ago and he kept insisting that the ‘opening-up’ story will continue. The Nandigram story which is a problem will be fixed and it does not deter the government from opening up to investors. The message is being passed to our people at home. And then you have the special love of the French for Kolkata and for Bengal.

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