(a) whether the Foreign Minister of France was on a two day visit to India recently;
(b) if so, the details of issues discussed during the visit and the outcome thereof;
(c) whether issues regarding Rafale Fighter Jets Deal, Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant and climate change also came up during the said talks; and
(d) if so, the details and outcome thereof along with steps proposed to be taken by the Government for further strengthening bilateral relations with France?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (GEN. RETD. V.K. SINGH)
(a) Yes. The Foreign Minister of France, Mr. Laurent Fabius visited India from 30 June – 1 July, 2014.
(b) & (c) Both sides had discussions on bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual concern.
The status of various bilateral projects was also discussed during the meeting. On climate change, India expressed its hope that a comprehensive, balanced and equitable outcome will be reached at the COP21 to be hosted by France in December 2015.
(d) Both sides expressed their commitment to continue their engagement under the ambit of established framework of institutionalized dialogue mechanism to further strengthen the relationship.