Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on Tuesday, 10 November 2026 co-chaired two landmark diplomatic engagements in Paris — the 3rd India-France Strategic Space Dialogue and the inaugural meeting of the India-France Economic Security and Critical Technologies Dialogue — marking a significant deepening of bilateral ties between India and France. The Indian Embassy in France confirmed that the sessions were co-chaired alongside Martin Briens, Secretary General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

What the Dialogues Covered

The two sides used both forums to review the full range of bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. A central theme across both dialogues was the strengthening of resilient supply chains, with an emphasis on economic security and emerging critical technologies.

'These discussions will deepen cooperation between India and France in space, critical technologies and economic security, particularly in the area of resilient supply chains,' the Indian Embassy had said ahead of the meetings. Misri had arrived in Paris on Monday specifically for these engagements.

India-France Space Cooperation: A Growing Partnership

The space dialogue builds on a partnership that stretches back to the early sounding rocket experiments of the 1960s, and has since grown into a comprehensive collaboration covering joint satellite missions, launch vehicle technologies, human spaceflight, and new space applications.

In September, Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh met his French counterpart Philippe Baptiste and noted that India-France space cooperation had 'entered a new phase', with fresh focus on human spaceflight, start-ups, and a new space ecosystem. Singh also highlighted that the third joint satellite, TRISHNA, would soon be developed, and appreciated support from CNES — France's national space agency — to India's Gaganyaan programme, including supply of consumables and training of flight surgeons.

PM Modi's Vision for Global Space Cooperation

On 10 September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had addressed the first International Space Summit in Paris via video conferencing, inviting France and other countries to partner with India in its next phase of space exploration. He called for 'cooperation over confrontation, sustainability over short-term gain, and inclusion over exclusion' as guiding principles for the global space sector.

These remarks underscored India's broader ambition to position itself as a multilateral partner in the rapidly evolving global space economy — not merely a bilateral collaborator.

Significance and What Comes Next

The launch of the Economic Security and Critical Technologies Dialogue is particularly notable. This is the first time India and France have established a dedicated institutional channel for critical technology cooperation, reflecting shared concerns about supply chain vulnerabilities in semiconductors, clean energy, and defence-linked industries.

This comes amid a broader global push by democracies to 'friend-shore' critical supply chains away from geopolitically exposed dependencies. For India, institutionalising such a dialogue with a P5 nation and a leading European Union power strengthens its strategic autonomy framework. The next steps from these engagements are expected to shape India-France cooperation well into 2027 and beyond.