French Senate Chairman Visits India to Enhance Bilateral Relations

The French Embassy in India announced that on February 19 and 20, 2024, Gerard Larcher, the chairman of the French Senate, will be visiting India on official business. Accompanying him will be a delegation of five senators. The purpose of the visit is to improve India-France parliamentary cooperation and bilateral relations.

“Larcher is accompanied by a delegation of five other senators who are members of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee or the France-India Friendship Group. This will mark the first official visit to India of a Chairman of the French Senate, the Upper House of France’s Parliament,” according to the official press release.
‘Larcher and his delegation will meet with Jagdeep Dhankhar, Vice President of India and Chairman of Rajya Sabha,’ the release added.

The French Senate chairman and his senators will talk about ways to improve communication and understanding between the French Senate and the Parliament of India, including the possibility of drafting a special agreement, according to the official statement. Additionally, Larcher will get a guided tour of the recently constructed Parliament. The Honorable Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, will receive a call from the Chairman of the French Senate. Larcher had previously met Prime Minister Modi on July 14, 2023, during the latter’s visit to Paris. Larcher, along with leaders of all major parliamentary groups, received the Prime Minister at the French Senate.

Additionally, the head of the French Senate will meet with S. Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs, to talk about the state of bilateral relations at the moment and to learn more about India’s expanding geopolitical role. Larcher’s itinerary includes visits to the locations of French companies contributing significantly to “Make in India” and “Skill India,” as well as meetings with business executives of French companies operating in India, primarily in the aerospace and defense sectors. The French Republic’s Upper House of Parliament is known as the Senate. Its 358 members, also known as senators, are chosen for six-year terms using indirect universal suffrage. The Senate votes on laws originating from government or parliamentary initiative in its capacity as a legislative body.

The Chairman of the Senate ensures the stability of France’s institutions as he is called upon to replace the President of the Republic in the event of death or resignation. The Chairman is elected for a three-year term after each renewal of the Senate membership. Gerard Larcher has been the Chairman of the Senate since October 2014, a post he also earlier held from 2008 to 2011.