Negotiations for supply of Rafale aircraft are going on “smoothly”, but no deal is likely to be inked during the visit of President Francois Hollande to India on February 14-15.

Speaking at a panel discussion on India-France relations at the Observer Research Foundation here on Monday, the French Ambassador to India Francois Richier said : “France will give six EPR reactors of 60 MW each. After navigating the safety side, now negotiations will move to commercial aspect.”

Though the Indian Air Force always had a French aircraft since 1953 – the days of Oregon – the President’s visit is unlikely to see signing of any new aircraft deal. The Ambassador said negotiations on Rafale aircraft is “still going” on and it is “moving smoothly”. “It is not a surprise” that there won’t be any signing of agreement on this, the Ambassador said.

Noting that this is the new French President’s first visit to Asia, Richier stressed on three “S”s – sovereignty, stability and synergy in the bilateral relationship of the two countries that has given strength and stability to the relationship.

He pointed out that France and India had signed strategic partnership way back in 1998, as France’s leadership foresaw in the last century itself that India would emerge as a big power.

Richier also stressed on the importance of French investment in India, saying, according to their calculation, it amounted to more than $17 billion at present.

He said though the two countries could not meet the target on trade, set at around $12 billion in 2012 because of various reasons like global slowdown, it is more important that French investments have grown up quite considerably.

He said increasing French investment also played a big role in research and development and scientific cooperation between the two countries.

Moderating the discussion the former Foreign Secretary and former Ambassador to France Kanwal Sibal said that India-France relationship had withstood great stress when India tested nuclear device in 1998. He noted that France not only didn’t impose sanctions but also reacted with great moderation.

Sibal said the President’s visit to India would help get personalised attention on India and “it is a good thing”.

Noting that India and France have enjoyed special relationship, ORF Director Sunjoy Joshi underlined the need for both countries to remain engaged and invested and further deepen the relationship, taking it to a strategic phase.

At the invitation of the Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, President Francois Hollande, will be paying a state visit to India on February 14-15. He will be accompanied by Ms. Valerie Trierweiller, a high-level delegation including several key Ministers of his Cabinet, senior officials, business-persons and media.

The French President will arrive in New Delhi on the morning of February 14. He will be paid a Guard of Honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on the same morning, after which he will visit Raj Ghat to pay homage to the Father of the Nation. He will hold delegation level talks with Indian Prime Minister. The External Affairs Minister, Salman Khurshid, will pay a call on him. The Chairperson of UPA, Sonia Gandhi and the Leader of Opposition, Lok Sabha, Sushma Swaraj will also be calling on him.

On February 15, the French President will deliver a lecture in the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, Teen Murti House, following which he is scheduled to honour Professor Amartya Sen with Commandeur de la legion d’Honneur.

Thereafter, the French President will visit Mumbai, where he will have a meeting with the Governor of Maharashtra and participate in a Business Conference.

Relations between India and France have been laid on strong historical foundations and shared values. With upgradation of the relationship to strategic partnership in 1998, the relationship has become multifaceted and symbiotic in areas such as defence, civil nuclear energy, space and counter terrorism. There have been regular high-level exchanges at the Head of State/Head of Government levels. Most recently, External Affairs Minister had visited France to have talks with his counterpart, the French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius, in January 2013.

India-France relations are growing fast in all sectors of contemporary relevance with wide ranging contacts in economic, industrial and commercial spheres. There is also increased interaction in the fields of education, science and technology, culture and lifestyle industries services. France has consistently supported India’s growing role in the international fora and the two countries have regular consultations on global and regional issues of importance.