France wants India to play more critical global role

French President Nicholas Sarkozy on Saturday described India as one of his country's most important partners, and urged it to play a more critical role on the international stage, including in the ongoing G-20 deliberations.

India's bid for permanent membership of the UN Security Council received a boost after Britain and France voiced their support.

British premier David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy met Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh late Saturday night ahead of the G-20 Summit and supported India''s bid during their bilateral meetings.

Sarkozy conveyed this view to Indian Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on the sidelines of the fourth G-20 Summit being held here.

He told Dr. Singh with France taking over the G-20 presidentship later this year, he was looking to India for greater cooperation in G-20.

Recalling the 12-year-old strategic partnership between India and France, Dr. Singh said he looked forward to President Sarkozy and French First Lady Carla Bruni's visit to India later this year.

According to a government spokesman, both leaders discussed the outcomes of Sarkozy's visit to India.

Media briefings said that both leaders expressed satisfaction over the positive "trajectory" that this bilateral relationship was taking and further revealed that the United Kingdom is the largest investor in India, and added that Indo-British trade is worth over $13 billion.

President Sarkozy recalled Dr. Singh's visit to Paris for the French National Day celebrations in July 2009, including the laudable step of sending a tri-services contingent to take part in a military parade.

Sarkozy reiterated his country's support for India acquiring permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and New Delhi's efforts on the counter-terrorism efforts.

On bilateral ties, the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, including the status of France as India's largest trading partner among European Union countries.