France keen on ties with Goa in higher edu, urban dev:official

France wants to build closer ties with Goa in higher education and urban development, Ambassador of France in India Francois Richier said.
Both the nations have witnessed that the number of students visiting each of the country has doubled over the years, Richier told reporters here yesterday.
"There are 2,600 Indian students studying in France while 1,600 French students are getting educated in Indian universities," he said.
The French and Indian institutes have signed 400 agreements with each other, which indicates the growing partnership in the field of education, Richier added.
The Ambassador, who was in Goa, which attracts several French tourists annually, to visit the French Destroyer ship FNS Montcalm, also met state Governor B V Wanchoo and Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar.

Richier said that discussions with the Governor and the Chief Minister were focused around the "possibility of building ties with Goa University."
France has also expressed willingness to exchange the know-how on the urban development with Goa. "France has a tradition to develop cities. We have achieved good results in terms of urban planning," he said, adding that the possibility of developing Goa cities was also discussed with the Chief Minister.