New Delhi : France to open its Bureau of France or French consulate in Hyderabad soon, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said. France already has four consulates across India.

“As will the Bureau of France that we will soon open in Hyderabad. This will come in addition to the one in Chennai, to our 4 Consulates general and to our 15 Alliances francaises, so that wherever you live in India, France will not be far away,” the French Foriegn Minister said.

Colonna shared this information in a joint press conference with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in New Delhi on Wednesday. She said France is open to Indian students and added that the country has set the ambitious target of welcoming 20,000 students by 2025.

“This morning I conveyed a message to Indian students in this regard: France is open to you. We wish to see you come and study in France in greater numbers. President Emmanuel Macron has set us the ambitious target of welcoming 20,000 Indian students to France by 2025,” Colonna said.

Colonna is visiting India from September 14-15 to further strengthen and deepen the Indo-French strategic partnership ahead of its 25th anniversary next year.

The French Foreign Minister also said that France is proud to be one of India’s first defence partners, adding that the arm forces of both countries are now conducting joint patrols.

“In the field of defence, no other country is ready to share its most advanced defence technologies with India as much as France. And we are proud to be one of your very first defence partners, not only in industrial terms but also in operational ones. Our armed forces are now conducting joint patrols, which is a major step forward,” she said.

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Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that India and France agreed to work towards the establishment of Indo-Pacific trilateral development cooperation.

“We agreed to establish Indo-Pacific trilateral development cooperation that would facilitate development projects, especially in the framework of the International Solar Alliance,” Jaishankar said.

Warm and comprehensive discussions with FM @MinColonna of France today.

The exchange of perspectives on the international situation was particularly valuable.

Watch our joint press conference here:
📹: https://t.co/tFtLut4suL

Remarks 📝: https://t.co/xtAHNS6cvw pic.twitter.com/gAzYnDlZDx
— Dr. S. Jaishankar (@DrSJaishankar) September 14, 2022