President Nicolas Sarkozy's state visit to India next week will focus on civilian nuclear cooperation, defence contracts and deepening bilateral exchanges, the Elysee said Friday.
The two-day visit on Thursday and Friday will "bring new impetus and significant depth to relations between our two democracies," said presidential spokesman David Martinon.
Sarkozy will watch the Republic Day parade in New Delhi on January 26 and hold talks with President Pratibha Patil, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and opposition leader Lal Krishna Advani, a Hindu nationalist.
The spokesman declined to confirm whether the president's girlfriend, ex-supermodel Carla Bruni, would be accompanying Sarkozy on the state visit.
A senior Indian foreign ministry source told AFP on Friday that protocol officials were in a quandary over how to treat Bruni, if she decides to come.
