On his first visit to India after he assumed office in May 2017, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday that one of the reasons he came to visit India was to deliver a message that France should be the best partner for India, especially in Europe. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the French President discussed ways to deepen bilateral cooperation in defence, security, trade, and investment. India and France inked total 14 pacts in the areas of railways, education and logistics support between the armed forces of the two nations. The leaders also assured to protect classified information, and discussed ways to enhance cooperation in civil nuclear power.
Agreements in the field of environment and urban development were also signed. Macron arrived in India on Friday night. He was given a ceremonial welcome at the RashtraPati Bhawan on Saturday morning. On a four-day visit to India, Macron was received at the airport on Friday night by Prime Minister Modi.
Addressing a joint conference with Macron, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the two countries have robust cooperation in the fields of defence and security. He also said the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) was important for the peace and prosperity of the world. Macron said India and France have decided to work together to deal with threats of terrorism and radicalisation. Defence cooperation between the two countries now has a new significance, the French President said. Both the leaders also talked about cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Another chapter in the glorious book of our friendship! PM Narendra Modi welcomes President of France Emmanuel Macron at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi ahead of the bilateral talks,” MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted along with pictures of the two leaders.
PM Modi and President Macron will also co-chair the founding conference of the India-initiated ISA (International Solar Alliance) on Sunday. The alliance, launched during the Paris Climate Summit in 2015, is a coalition of the 121-member countries, which work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
French President Macron and Prime Minister Modi will also visit Varanasi, where a group of local youths and some French nationals have formed a club to work towards improving man-to-man contact between the people of the two countries. Macron will also visit Agra, and have a town hall interaction with students in New Delhi.
President Macron also visited the library of the Alliance francaise in New Delhi on Saturday morning. “French institutes and French alliances are the artisans of the development of our language and our culture abroad,” he said.
