 "Chairman of French Senate Gerard Larcher on two-day visit to India")
Chairman of the French Senate Gerard Larcher is on a two-day visit to India beginning Monday to strengthen bilateral ties and parliamentary cooperation.
Larcher is accompanied by a delegation of five other senators who are members of the Senate's foreign affairs and defence committee. This is the first official India visit of a chairman of the French Senate, the Upper House of France's Parliament.
Larcher and his delegation will meet with Vice President and Chairman of Rajya Sabha Jagdeep Dhankhar.
They will discuss ways to increase cooperation and mutual understanding between the French Senate and India's Parliament, including through a dedicated agreement, the French embassy said in a readout.
The chairman of the French Senate will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it said.
Larcher had previously met Prime Minister Modi during the latter's visit to Paris on July 14 last year. The prime minister was received at the French Senate by Larcher and leaders of all major parliamentary groups.
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Larcher is also scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to discuss the current dynamics in the bilateral relations and gain a better understanding of India's growing geopolitical role, the embassy said.
During his visit, Larcher will also meet with business leaders of French companies in India, particularly in the aerospace and defence sectors, and visit sites of French firms making key contributions to 'Make in India' and 'Skill India', it said.
The Senate is the Upper House of the Parliament of the French Republic. Its 358 members or Senators are elected through indirect universal suffrage for a term of six years.