French foreign minister begins 2-day India visit from Friday

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian will be in India on a two-day visit beginning Friday during which he will hold extensive talks with his Indian counterpart Sushma Swaraj to further boost bilateral ties in key areas.

The External Affairs Ministry said the two sides will review the broad gamut of the "multi-faceted" bilateral ties and exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The French Foreign Minister will also call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Le Drian's first destination will be Mumbai where he will meet senior state government officials as well as interact with Indian and French personalities from the film, television and tourism industries.

The French Foreign Minister will also call on Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis.

In Delhi, he will hold delegation level talks with Swaraj on Saturday.

Le Drian will also attend the signing of contract for cooperation between Atos (a European IT services corporation with its headquarters in Bezons, France) and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) for the development of supercomputers in India, the MEA said.

Le Drian's visit comes amid a massive controversy over the procurement of 36 Rafale jets from French aerospace company Dassault Aviation under a Rs 58,000 crore deal.

The Opposition has been attacking the Modi dispensation over alleged corruption in the multi-billion dollar deal. However, the government strongly rejected the allegations.