NEW DELHI, Feb 21 (KUNA) -- French Foreign Trade Minister Christine Lagarde Tuesday launched two initiatives in the Indian capital to enhance cooperation between small and medium firms of the two countries and also promote French technology in India.
The two initiatives were announced after an official visit to India by French President Jacques Chirac during which several pacts were signed in areas like civilian nuclear technology, defence, space, tourism, education and aviation.
Lagarde said the 'Cap Export India' programme of her government supports French companies to develop operations in strategic international markets by increasing exports, investments and partnerships of small and medium scale enterprises.
India is one of the five priority nations targeted by France for this programme along with the US, Japan, China and Russia, she said.
"The Cap Export partnership with India will extend bilateral trade to a wider network of companies, extending the benefit of French technology and strengthen our economic partnership with India," Lagarde said.
The second initiative, Image of France in India campaign, will promote bilateral trade in key areas like technology, retail, power, defence, finance and banking and biotechnology while endorsing France as a centre of technology.
"This campaign has been conceived to promote French technology and a high tech France," said Arun Nanda, president of the Indo-French Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
"The present perception of France relates primarily to food, fashion and tourism and, while we want this to remain secure, we also will promote France as a technology destination for free flow of technology between both sides."
The campaign involves a media blitz, an exchange programme among students and academics and catalysing the level of interaction between Indian and French small and medium industries. The annual budget of this campaign will be USD300,000 for the next four years and the French government will sponsor a fifth of that every year, Nanda said.
The current trade volume between the two countries stands at 3.2 billion euros with the target aiming for a doubling to 7 billion euros by 2010.
