‘Instrumentalisation of tariffs’ becoming counterproductive: Top French diplomat

NEw new delhi: anatole france and republic of india tin change their bilateral and multilateral partnerships to provide stability and predictability to the world order in unpredictable times when the “instrumentalisation of tariffs” is becoming counterproductive, Anne-Marie Descôtes, secretary general of France’s foreign ministry, has said,Descôtes, who travelled to India last week for political consultations, said in an interview with HT that advancing civil nuclear cooperation was a central purpose of her visit to New Delhi. France, she said, is focused on developing an Indian supply chain to construct and operate an EPR (European pressurised reactor) nuclear plant.Operational cooperation for an open and inclusive Indo-Pacific is growing, and France intends to keep on building the strategic partnership with India, including in trilateral formats involving Australia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Descôtes said.“We see the instrumentalisation of tariffs as counterproductive. France and India share a commitment to a rules-based international order, be it in trade policy or on other global issues. By deepening our bilateral and multilateral partnerships, we can provide stability and predictability in unpredictable times,” Descôtes said in response to a question on how the two sides can strengthen free commerce in the face of turbulence caused by US trade policies.Besides backing the swift conclusion of an European Union (EU)-India free trade agreement, she said France’s chairing of the G7 and India’s presidency of Brics in 2026 present “real opportunities to work together across global forums”.Pointing to the long-standing commitment to civil nuclear cooperation, Descôtes said: “Advancing this flagship cooperation was a central purpose of my visit to New Delhi and we held in-depth and fruitful talks on its different aspects. In this context, the Jaitapur nuclear power plant project is a great opportunity for both our countries. The objective is to develop an Indian supply-chain with the capability to construct and operate an EPR high power nuclear plant.”French President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India for the AI Impact Summit in February next year will see the launch of the India-France Year of Innovation. Both sides are working on projects in areas such as health and aerospace and will orient their strategic partnership towards the future by including innovation as a “new mantra”, she said.Collaboration for security and sovereignty remains at the heart of the Indo-French strategic partnership, and French defence companies are strengthening their industrial footprint in India by “investing, producing and employing locally, as in the collaboration between HAL and SAFRAN on helicopter engines”, Descôtes said.France has “consistently condemned the horrific terrorist attack in Pahalgam” and recognised India’s right to defend itself against terrorism, she said. Counter-terrorism remains at the core of the security partnership and experts from both countries discussed threat assessment, capacity building and cooperation in international forums at a meeting of the joint working group on counter-terrorism in Paris on September 11.Descôtes said France’s recognition of a Palestinian state “aims to break the cycle of violence and avert further escalation” at a time when Israel’s actions “risk destroying the very possibility of peace”. She added: “Recognising the legitimacy of both sides is essential to keep the two-state solution alive and open a path to dialogue.”She noted that Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi had recently discussed the “proactive role India could play in helping to achieve a rapid ceasefire [in Ukraine] by reaching out to both parties. France seeks a just and lasting peace in Ukraine, and continues to coordinate with partners to “maintain pressure” since it is clear Russia is “choosing escalation rather than peace”, she said.