India-France coalition has important role to play in Indo-Pacific region, says Le Drian

By Sahil Pandey
New Delhi [India], April 14 : French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves LeDrian on Wednesday said that the collation between India and France has a very important role to play in the Indo-Pacific region to adapt infrastructures to the consequences of climate change.
Speaking at a panel discussion on raising climate ambitions in view of COP26, the minister said, "From our point of view, this coalition has a very important role to play in the Indo-Pacific region to adapt infrastructures to the consequences of climate change. Here too, France will make a concrete contribution by seconding an expert to this organisation in Delhi."
He emphasised that both countries can fight single-use plastics and should invite nations as well.
"France and India could also work together to fight single-use plastics. Our countries have taken very strong decisions on this issue: India's ambitious national policy on this matter is expected to produce its effects in 2022; France, for its part, has started to ban a series of single-use plastic products. We should invite other countries to join this momentum and - why not? - work on a moratorium on single-use plastics," Le Drian said.
The French Foreign minister also added that Hydrogen produced by decarbonized process, can play a vital role in reducing the CO2 emissions of our power production.
"I am also thinking of the development of particularly promising cutting-edge technologies. And I am particularly convinced that hydrogen, provided of course that it is produced in a decarbonized process, can play a vital role in reducing the Carbon dioxide emissions of our power production system and our industries. Now that France and India have both adopted national strategies in this area, we must further deepen our collaboration in order to create a competitive industrial sector as soon as possible and to lower the production costs of carbon-free hydrogen," he added.
India- French cooperation will be all the more fruitful as they share similarities in terms of our electricity mix, which is based on both renewables and nuclear energy, and which is a strong advantage for developing our production of decarbonated hydrogen.
On highlighting new technologies Drian said,"These new technologies certainly represent major opportunities that India and France must seize together. Already in 2019, our two countries, via the research institutes of CEA-Liten and the National Institute of Solar Energy, signed a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at launching industrial demonstrators. We must continue to move in this direction."
He revealed that France and India are also cooperating together under the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, which was launched by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2019.
French foreign minister also said India can be a model for many countries to show the way and said, "Because it has begun to chart a pragmatic course that is commensurate with the climate emergency, India, my dear friends, can be, in Asia but also beyond, a model for many countries, alongside France and other European countries, which also intend to show the way."