India to call for ‘unimpeded’ access to Strait of Hormuz at G7, discuss defence & tech in France, Slovakia

India is set to call for "unimpeded navigation" through the Strait of Hormuz at the 52nd G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, France (June 15–17, 2026), hosted by t...

What Happened

India is set to call for "unimpeded navigation" through the Strait of Hormuz at the 52nd G7 Summit in Évian-les-Bains, France (June 15–17, 2026), hosted by the French Presidency.
The Ministry of External Affairs stated India's position: "We want, and we have urged, that there be unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz" — a direct response to US military strikes on commercial vessels that killed Indian seafarers.
A bilateral meeting between India and the United States is expected on the margins of the G7 summit, where the tanker strikes and the fate of Indian crew will be a central agenda item.
India's diplomatic tour (June 13–18) includes France and Slovakia — with France covering the G7 summit and bilaterals, and Slovakia marking India's first-ever Prime Ministerial state visit to that country.
In France: 12 agreements are expected on innovation, health, and education; discussions on the purchase of 114 Rafale fighter jets are anticipated, alongside the launch of the "Bharat Innovate" platform.
In Slovakia: defense partnership deepening and several MoUs are anticipated.

Static Topic Bridges

The G7 — Structure, India's Participation, and Outreach Format

The Group of Seven (G7) is an informal forum of the world's leading advanced economies. Its seven permanent members are Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The European Union also participates in summit meetings.

The G7 was established in 1975 (then G6), with Canada joining in 1976. Russia joined in 1998 (making it G8) and was suspended in 2014 following the annexation of Crimea, reverting the group to G7.
The presidency rotates annually among members; France holds the presidency in 2026, hosting the 52nd summit at Évian-les-Bains — the same location as the 2003 G8 summit.
India's participation: India is not a G7 member; it participates as an outreach/guest partner at the invitation of the Presidency. India has attended 13 G7 summits to date. G7 invitations are issued at the discretion of the host country and carry no formal membership obligations.
G20 vs G7: The G20 (of which India is a founding member and held the 2023 Presidency) includes emerging economies and has broader formal membership; the G7 is a smaller, high-income-economy-focused forum with more informal agenda-setting power.
Guest countries at the 2026 Évian summit include India, Brazil, South Korea, and Kenya.

Connection to this news: India's G7 appearance provides a high-visibility multilateral platform to raise the Strait of Hormuz issue directly with the United States (and other affected economies), beyond bilateral diplomatic summoning. The forum's informal structure allows issue-framing beyond formal agenda items.

India–France Defense and Strategic Partnership

India and France signed a Strategic Partnership in 1998 — one of India's earliest such bilateral frameworks — and have since deepened cooperation in defense, space, nuclear energy, and maritime security.

Rafale deal (2016): India signed an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with France in September 2016 for 36 Rafale twin-engine multirole fighter jets manufactured by Dassault Aviation. The first aircraft were delivered in September 2019; they are operated from Ambala Air Force Station (Punjab) and Hashimara (West Bengal).
114 Rafale (Marine) deal: India is negotiating the purchase of 114 Rafale Marine jets for the Indian Navy (carrier-based). This is a substantially larger deal than the 2016 order; discussions are expected to advance during the 2026 visit.
Nuclear cooperation: India–France Civil Nuclear Agreement signed in 2008; Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (Maharashtra) — proposed to use six EPR (European Pressurized Reactor) units by Areva/EDF — remains under negotiation.
Space: India–France cooperation through ISRO–CNES joint satellite missions (e.g., Megha-Tropiques, TRISHNA).
Bharat Innovate: A proposed bilateral innovation platform to be launched during this visit, focusing on startups, R&D, and technology transfer.

Connection to this news: The Évian bilateral is not limited to Hormuz concerns — it advances a broad strategic agenda. The Rafale Marine negotiation represents one of India's largest defense procurement decisions, with implications for both the navy's carrier aviation capability (INS Vikrant) and India's defense industrial policy (Buy (Indian-IDDM) vs. Buy & Make categories under DPP 2020).

India's First State Visit to Slovakia — Strategic Significance in Central Europe

Slovakia (Slovak Republic) is a Central European nation, EU and NATO member, with a population of approximately 5.5 million. India has no prior Prime Ministerial state visit to Slovakia, making the 2026 visit a diplomatic landmark.

India–Slovakia bilateral trade is modest (under $1 billion annually), but the visit is strategically significant for India's deepening engagement with Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) — a region with significant defense manufacturing capabilities (particularly in artillery, ammunition, armored vehicles) that India has been cultivating since the Russia–Ukraine war created urgency around supply chain diversification.
Slovakia is a producer of Zuzana 2 wheeled self-propelled howitzers and has supplied artillery ammunition to Ukraine; India has interest in howitzer technology through its artillery modernization program (Field Artillery Rationalization Plan — FARP).
India–EU relations: India and the EU are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement (India-EU FTA), resumed in 2022 after a decade-long hiatus; Slovakia as an EU member is a stakeholder in this process.
MoUs expected: defense cooperation, technology transfer, education, and cultural ties.

Connection to this news: The Slovakia visit reflects India's broader European diplomatic engagement strategy — broadening beyond traditional partners (UK, France, Germany) to build relationships with CEE states that hold defense-industrial and EU-political relevance.

India's Doctrine of Strategic Autonomy and Multi-Alignment

India's foreign policy is guided by the principle of strategic autonomy — the ability to independently pursue national interests without binding alignment to any power bloc. This principle has roots in Jawaharlal Nehru's Non-Alignment policy (NAM, 1961) but has evolved significantly in the post-Cold War context.

Non-Aligned Movement (NAM): Founded at the 1961 Belgrade Conference; India was a founding member. NAM's founding principles included non-alignment with either Cold War superpower, sovereignty, and anti-colonialism. India currently deprioritizes NAM but invokes its philosophical legacy.
Strategic Autonomy (post-1991): India engages with all major powers — US (Quad, defense deals), Russia (S-400, oil imports), France (Rafale, nuclear), Gulf states (energy, diaspora) — without exclusive alignment. This is sometimes called "multi-alignment."
Quad: The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (India, US, Japan, Australia) is India's primary multilateral security grouping; India maintains that Quad is not a military alliance.
India's summoning of the US diplomat while simultaneously attending a G7 summit alongside the US represents this strategic autonomy — expressing displeasure while maintaining the bilateral engagement architecture.

Connection to this news: India's simultaneous diplomatic protest over Indian crew deaths and bilateral meetings with the United States at G7 reflects strategic autonomy in practice: India articulates its national interest (safety of seafarers, energy security) even vis-à-vis its most important strategic partners, without rupturing the relationship.

Key Facts & Data

52nd G7 Summit: June 15–17, 2026, Évian-les-Bains, Haute-Savoie, France; host — French Presidency
G7 members: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK, USA (+ EU as institutional participant)
India's G7 appearances: 13th time (2026); non-member outreach partner
India–France Strategic Partnership: signed 1998
Rafale IGA (2016): 36 aircraft, Dassault Aviation; deliveries began September 2019
Pending deal: 114 Rafale Marine jets for Indian Navy
Indian Air Force Rafale bases: Ambala (18 Wing) and Hashimara (101 Sqn)
Slovakia: EU + NATO member; population ~5.5 million; first-ever India PM state visit
India–EU FTA negotiations: resumed 2022
NAM founding conference: Belgrade, 1961; India — founding member
Quad established: 2007 (first iteration); revived 2017; upgraded to leaders' summit level in 2021