New Delhi/UNI: Former Prime Minister of France Édouard Philippe is paying an official visit to India, from March 14-17, to boost bilateral economic ties, particularly cooperation on ports, and decentralised cooperation between local governments.

Edouard Philippe served as the Prime Minister of President Emmanuel Macron’s government from April 2017 to July 2020, a period that saw a remarkable deepening of the Indo-French strategic partnership, and the launch of France’s Indo-Pacific strategy.

In his tenure as Prime Minister, he also oversaw major economic reforms that have made France the most attractive destination for foreign investments in Europe. Philippe is currently mayor of Le Havre, France’s largest commercial port city and the fifth largest of Northern Europe.

In Delhi, Philippe will call on External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to exchange views on tackling major global challenges at a time when India holds the G20 presidency, as well as on the outlook for the France-India strategic partnership, which marks its 25th anniversary this year, a French Embassy statement said.

Philippe will call on Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal to discuss ports cooperation, particularly with regard to the implementation of the Indo-French Roadmap on the Blue Economy and Ocean Governance.

In order to promote business opportunities between France and India, Philippe will meet several leading Indian investors, and preside as guest of honour over the business awards ceremony hosted by the Indo French Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

In Mumbai, he will meet Iqbal Singh Chahal, Brihanmumbai Municipal Commissioner, to discuss cooperation opportunities between the two port cities of Le Havre and Mumbai.

He will also visit Nhava Sheva port, where the French container shipping company CMA-CGM recently won a 30-year concession. Philippe will be accompanied by a delegation of HAROPA, a combination of the port authorities of Le Havre, Rouen and Paris.

People-to-people ties being at the heart of the Indo-French relationship, Philippe will also share his experience as Prime Minister at two major academic institutions of India, St Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and St Stephen’s College, Delhi.