On November 9, 2018, Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu embarked on a 3-day visit to France.
Highlights:
i. The schedule of the visit is as follows:
On November 9, 2018 he arrived at Paris, France,
On November 10, 2018, he inaugurated Indian War Memorial and
On November 11, 2018, he inaugurated a bronze statue at Laventie and
From November 11-13, 2018, he represented India at the Paris Peace Forum in Paris.
ii. He also held a number of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the Paris Peace Forum.
Arrival at Paris:
On November 9, 2018, Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu arrived at Paris, France at the invitation of the Government of the Republic of France.
The visit entails India’s participation in the activities commemorating the centenary of the Armistice of World War I.
On the sidelines of the celebration:
i. On November 9, 2018, on his arrival, Vice President addressed the Indian community.
ii. On November 10, 2018, he also inaugurated the Indian Armed Forces Memorial at Villers-Guislain town to commemorate the contribution of the soldiers to the freedom of France in the World War I.
- On November 11, 2018, he also unveiled a 7 foot bronze statue in the town of Laventie for the contribution of over 4,700 soldiers and labourers from British India.
- This marked the commencement of a project to establish 57 such statues near all cemeteries where Indian soldiers lie buried in France.
- India also participated in Paris Peace Forum, which took place in Paris from 11-13 November 2018, as a part of the Armistice Centenary.
India marked Armistice day in France – 100 years of World War 1:
- On November 11, 2018, the centenary ceremony of Armistice Day was held at Arc de Triomphe.
- It was presided over by French President, Emmanuel Macron.
- Over 50 countries and their representatives participated in the centenary activities which marked 100 years since the end of World War I on November 11, 1918.
- Highlighting the contribution of India on the occasion, the Vice President of India said that the Indian Corps won 13,000 medals for gallantry including 12 Victoria Crosses.
Paris Peace Forum:
On November 11, 2018, as a part of celebration for the Armistice Day, the French government hosted the 3-day Paris Peace Forum, till November 13, 2018, at Paris, France.
i. The Paris Peace Forum aims to establish a global platform
- To reaffirm the importance of multilateralism,
- International cooperation and
- Reform of global governance institutions.
ii. Various discussion and debate with special emphasis on civil society initiatives were held.
iii. The Forum is a recurring, annual event aimed to promote governance solutions in 5 key areas. They are:
- Peace and Security,
- Environment,
- Development,
- New Technologies, and
- Inclusive Economy.
iv. India, represented by its Vice President Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu, attended the forum where the VP spoke on a high-level panel titled: “Dialogue of the Continents on Global Governance”.
v. This year a total of 120 projects under the 5 themes were selected of which 5 were from India. They were:
- ACT project by Earth5R: Seeks to improve the quality of the environment, and reduce plastic waste via new sustainable business models.
- Zero-budget Natural Farming by Govt. of Andhra Pradesh: Enabling farmers to improve soil fertility, reduce costs, reduce irrigation, and increase yield while preserving the quality of the production.
- Decentralized electricity network based on solar energy over block-chain by NIMRAY-Solar.
- Network of Southern Think Thanks: A collaborative academic forum for the South by the South which aims at generating, consolidating and sharing knowledge on approaches to international development
- STAR C (Solar Technology Application Resource-Centre) by International Solar Alliance: To building a network of technical training and research centres to promote knowledge dissemination and capacity-building with regards to solar energy and infrastructure projects.
France:
♦ Capital: Paris.
♦ Currency: Euro.