India Denounces ‘Personal Attacks’ On French President

Table of Contents

What has happened?

India on Wednesday came out in strong support of French President Emmanuel slammed by Turkey and Pakistan,
For his comments following the beheading of a French schoolteacher days after he had shown caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed to his students in France earlier this month.

Macron has been slammed by Pakistan and Turkey in recent days for his comments defending the school teacher Samuel Paty.
“We will continue… We will defend the freedom that you taught so well and we will bring secularism,“
Macron is reported to have said after the beheading of the teacher by his Chechen student on 16 October.
Macron added that France would “not give up cartoons, drawings, even if others back down.”
Just a few days prior to Paty’s killing, Macron had reportedly said “Islam is a religion that is in crisis today all over the world,“ “plagued by radical temptations and by a yearning for a reinvented jihad which is the destruction of the other.”

The remarks together drew the ire of Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday, “What is the problem of this person called Macron with Muslims and Islam? Macron needs treatment on a mental level.”
France reacted by recalling its ambassador in Ankara, describing Erdogan’s speech “unacceptable”, and called on the Turkish leader to “change the course” of his “dangerous” policy.

India views France as a strategic partner with India’s prime minister Narendra Modi seen as sharing warm ties with Macron.
Last year, Macron had invited Modi to participate in the G-7 session in Biarritz.
The two countries together are seen as the founder members of the International Solar Alliance.

It was France that had moved a resolution in the UN Security Council following the Pulwama attack in Kashmir last year,
That eventually led to the designation of Pakistan based Maulana Masood Azhar as a terrorist under UN norms.

France is also a key source of defence hardware for India including submarines and fighter aircraft.
Next month, India is to receive another batch for four Rafale multi-role aircraft from Dassault Aviation, part of 36 aircraft ordered by India.
New Delhi has already received a first batch of five Rafale in the month of July.

The strong Indian reaction in support of Macron came on a day New Delhi said
Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla would be travelling to France, Germany and the United Kingdom from 29 October-04 November.
“France, Germany and UK are strategic partners of India and are nations with which India has close and well-established relations.
Bilateral ties are multi-dimensional and have grown rapidly,”
A separate statement from the foreign ministry said.
“During his visit, Foreign Secretary will review bilateral relations and discuss matters of mutual interest and share Indian perspectives with his counterparts and with other key interlocutors.
He will also interact with businesspersons, academics, intellectuals and media persons in these three countries.
The Foreign Secretary will discuss international cooperation in dealing with the ongoing pandemic and its consequences,” it said.

Q) Which of the following statements regarding India-France Relations are correct?

Both countries started joint air exercises ‘Varuna’ in 1983.
France has helped India to set up the Sriharikota launch site.
France was the first P-5 country to support India’s claim for a permanent seat in the UNSC.