H.E. Ms Sophie Primas, Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and French Nationals Abroad, attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France, will be in India on a three-day official trip from 27th to 29th November 2024 to boost Indo-French business and innovation ties.
Minister Primas will begin her India trip on 27th November in New Delhi, where she will meet Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Minister of Commerce and Industry of India. She will seek to enhance ease of doing business and investment flows between France and India, the goal being to not only increase French investments in India but also invite more Indian FDI into France, Europe’s leading FDI destination.
Thereafter, Ministers Primas and Goyal will open the France-India CEOs Forum concluding session co-chaired by Mr Paul Hermelin, Chairman – CapGemini Board of Directors, and Mr Hari Bhartia, Co-Chairman – Jubilant Life Sciences Limited.
In the afternoon, Minister Primas will address the 2024 Asia-Pacific Forum of Foreign Trade Advisers of France and give away the Grand Prix VIE Asia-Pacific, awarded to young business professionals (VIEs).
On 28th November, Minister Primas will travel to Chennai, Tamil Nadu, where French companies bring numerous jobs and skills and contribute to the dynamic State’s economic success story. She will meet Dr T.R.B. Rajaa, Hon’ble Minister of Industry, Investment Promotions and Commerce to discuss ways of further increasing France’s flourishing economic and business ties with the state.
In Chennai, Minister Primas will also visit the R&D Centre of Saint Gobain, leading French manufacturer of glass, and light and sustainable construction materials. Located at the IIT Madras Research Park, the R&D centre has developed an ecosystem remarkable for fostering innovation by linking academic researchers with the industrial sector and partnering with start-ups.
On 29th November, Minister Primas will inaugurate the new French international school in the presence of the Hon’ble Mayor of Chennai, Ms Priya Rajan. Offering a bilingual track, this international school brings the excellence of the French education system to Chennai.
Minister Primas will be in Puducherry on 29th November, where she will pay a courtesy call on the Hon’ble Lieutenant Governor, H.E. Mr M.K. Kailashnathan. She will also lay a wreath at the French War Memorial in tribute to those who laid down their lives for France in World War I. Lastly, she will visit the Lycée français international de Pondichéry to interact with students, teachers, parents and alumni.