"We want to host 30,000 Indian students in France in coming year": French Ambassador

New Delhi: The French Ambassador to India, has said that France would like to host 30,000 Indian students in France in the coming year, and added that one of the most important objectives for the European country is to develop people-to-people exchanges, in this bilateral relationship.
The Ambassador underlined that President Macron had set the objective when he came to India in early January this year.
French envoy Thierry Mathou told ANI, "Currently, one of the most important objectives in our relationship to us is to develop people-to-people exchanges. President Macron has set the objective when he came in early January: we want to host 30 000 Indian students in France in the coming year."
"The door is open for Indian students: we have courses in English, international preparations for those who want to invest in French. An important education fair will take place mid-October to present all the opportunities," he underlined.
Notably, French President Emmanuel Macron who was on a two-day State visit to India in January this year, had interacted with Indian students. It was there, that Macron had announced France's goal to welcome 30,000 students from India by 2030.
A five-year Schengen circulation visa for Indian alumni was also announced during PM Modi's visit to France in July 2023.
Meanwhile, the envoy also highlighted that France is keen to continue developing its economic ties with India, considering the importance of its growth, and expressed hope that French investments in India will further expand.
Praising India's growth story, Mathou said, "Of course, we want to keep developing our economic ties with India, considering the importance of its growth. We also see it as a challenge, as India is only our fourth trade partner in Asia and we want to improve that position."
"I'm quite sure that our investments in India will further expand: in the fashion and luxury sector, French companies keep developing their links with the Mumbai ecosystem, with the help of amazing Indian artists, such as the one trained by the Chanakya Craft School; in the food and agriculture production several French companies are investing in Meghalaya. Recently I met the leadership of Carrefour group, which has decided to come back in India with their partner Apparel Group to develop their retail activities," he added.
Speaking further on the trade ties between France and India, the Ambassador said that the economic relationship between the two nations is not only about the bilateral trade but also about, long-standing industrial partnerships.
"Our bilateral trade is almost balanced and India is now France's 12th largest customer, which promises great prospects for the future. The combined Indo-French exports and imports reached 16 billion EUR in 2023 and 2024, in all likelihood, will also be an outstanding year, since in the first semester, French exports to India recorded an outstanding performance, with a 60 per cent increase, as compared to the same period in 2023. One of the key drivers behind this strong performance is India's purchase of civil aircraft. But the depth of our economic relationship cannot be summarised by our bilateral trade alone, as it is so rich in long-standing industrial partnerships," Mathou told ANI.
He further added that France is bringing a major contribution to the "Make in India policy".
"French economic presence is mostly based on strong direct investments. French companies have massively increased their FDI in India over the last decade, with a stock of nearly 13 billion EUR, in 2023. Therefore, if we compare the quality of our exchanges, I want to underline that France is bringing a major contribution to the "Make in India policy": French companies are the foremost European employer in India, creating around 500 000 jobs and we have more than a thousand industrial factories in India," the envoy said.
"I was mentioning aeronautics: French investments include high-level research and innovation centers such as the one opened by Airbus in 2023," he added.