India is actively strengthening maritime cooperation with France and Italy in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR), with the partnerships aimed at preserving regional stability rather than escalating geopolitical confrontation, according to a report by Eurasia Review. The trilateral framework focuses on securing critical maritime trade routes, reinforcing deterrence, and protecting shared strategic interests as competition in the Indian Ocean intensifies.

Why the Indian Ocean Is at the Centre of Global Strategy

The report describes Indian Ocean politics as undergoing a 'major strategic churn,' driven by China's expanding footprint, a perceived retreat of US influence, and the exposure of littoral states to ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. According to the report, these dynamics have compelled regional powers, including India, to place Indian Ocean security at the forefront of their strategic calculations.

The broader Indo-Pacific, the report notes, is already experiencing a relative decline in strategic attention amid multiple ongoing conflicts and renewed international focus on the Middle East and Europe. Questions over the United States' long-term credibility and regional commitment are also reshaping strategic thinking across Asia, making the IOR 'one of the most consequential arenas of geopolitical competition.'

India's Multi-Alignment Strategy Gains Traction

India's established policy of multi-alignment and issue-based coalitions has proven advantageous in this environment, the report argues. Rather than anchoring itself to rigid alliance structures, New Delhi has cultivated flexible strategic ties with partners who share concerns over maritime security, freedom of navigation, and regional stability.

Among these partners, France has emerged as one of India's most consequential and reliable strategic allies. President Emmanuel Macron's visit to India earlier this year reportedly reinforced growing alignment between New Delhi and Paris on Indo-Pacific security, maritime governance, maritime domain awareness, and defence cooperation. Both nations, according to the report, increasingly recognise that preserving Indian Ocean stability demands sustained naval coordination and long-term defence collaboration.

Italy's Rising Role in the Indo-Pacific

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recently concluded visit to Italy elevated bilateral ties to a strategic partnership, opening new avenues for maritime and defence cooperation. Italy's growing engagement in the Indo-Pacific is closely linked, the report states, to concerns over maritime trade security, supply chain resilience, energy connectivity, and the protection of critical sea lanes connecting Europe and Asia.

The report highlights the significance of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), which aims to link India to Europe via the Middle East and the Mediterranean. As a key European stakeholder in IMEC, Italy increasingly recognises that security in the Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean is directly tied to Europe's long-term economic and strategic interests.

A Pragmatic Framework, Not a Bloc

The report characterises the India-France-Italy partnership as an evolving framework of pragmatic strategic cooperation — one designed to preserve stability while deliberately steering clear of fixed bloc rivalries. This approach, it suggests, reflects a broader shift in how middle and major powers are organising themselves in a multipolar Indian Ocean order.

As geopolitical competition in the IOR deepens, the durability of these flexible partnerships — and India's ability to manage them without triggering counter-coalitions — will be a defining test of its strategic maturity in the years ahead.