It is a privilege to welcome President Chirac and his distinguished delegation to India.

Our relations with France, a global power and one of the anchors of our ties with the European Union, are special and privileged. President Chirac is a respected senior world statesman and a true friend of India. The vibrant strategic partnership that we enjoy today was initiated during President Chirac's visit to India in 1998 and strengthened with his guidance and leadership.

Last year, I met President Chirac twice, in Paris at Gleneagles. We are indeed extremely happy that the positive momentum in our relations has been maintained and strengthened by President Chirac's current visit to India.

Our discussions today have been very useful in taking forward our partnership. The range of Agreements signed today provide an indication of the extensive and substantive engagement between India and France. We have also issued a Joint Statement that clearly indicates the direction in which our strategic partnership will proceed.

The Declaration on Cooperation in the development of Nuclear Energy for Peaceful Purposes and the Agreement on Defence Cooperation are among the most important outcomes of the visit. We appreciate France's support for the ongoing effort to enable full civilian nuclear energy cooperation between India and the international community. President Chirac was one of the first world leaders to support such an initiative and I thank him for his strong and consistent leadership on a matter of great importance for India's energy security.

Cooperation in the space sector is another important aspect of our relations with France, which is progressing well. We also deeply appreciate France's support to India's candidature for permanent membership of the UN Security Council.

The economic engagement between India and France is an important element of our Strategic Partnership. It is my hope that trade and investment will continue to grow. There are significant complementarities between our economies and we must make all efforts to exploit the existing untapped potential. French companies should take advantage of the immense opportunities offered by India's rapid economic growth and science and technology potential. Last September in Paris, the President and I had expressed our resolve to double bilateral trade within 5 years. We identified infrastructure, IT, pharmaceuticals, environment, advanced and new technologies, food processing, automobiles and aeronautics as priority sectors for forging business partnerships.

We also discussed ways to further strengthen our bilateral relationship. France and India share common views on a range of regional and global issues. We reiterated our commitment to work together to address global challenges. We continue to cooperate in fighting terrorism, on non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, in promoting sustainable development, and in the effective management of globalization.

India supports President Chirac's initiative for looking at innovative sources of financing to tackle diseases such as HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria, which afflict millions the world over. We recognized that Indian pharmaceutical companies have emerged as global leaders in the fight against these diseases.

President Chirac's visit is another milestone in the expansion of our civilizational ties that are based on mutual trust and shared values. Once again, Mr. President, a very warm welcome to you and the distinguished members of your delegation.