NEW DELHI: The growing bonhomie between India and France was evident as Prime Minister Narendra Modi met French President Emmanuel Macron during his brief stopover in Paris.
PM Modi hugged President Macron on his arrival, signifying the warmth in the relationships between the two countries, before the two leaders held extensive discussions on a wide range of bilateral and global issues, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the situation in the Indo-Pacific and terrorism, as they agreed on an ambitious agenda for the next phase of the India-France Strategic Partnership.
PM Modi, who landed in Paris during the final leg of his three-nation European tour, held one-on-one and delegation-level talks with President Macron at the Elysee Palace – the official residence of the French President. PM Modi also became the first head of state to meet President Macron in person after his re-election last week.
“Delighted, as always, to meet my friend President @EmmanuelMacron. We talked at length about bilateral as well as global issues. India and France are proud developmental partners with our partnership spread across different sectors. We talked at length about bilateral as well as global issues,” PM Modi stated in a tweet.
My visit to France was brief but a very fruitful one. President @EmmanuelMacron and I got the opportunity to discuss various subjects. I thank him and the French Government for the warm hospitality. pic.twitter.com/pJCCvpvjao
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 4, 2022
In the meeting, Modi and Macron explored ways to take bilateral relations. “This meeting will add momentum to the Indo-French friendship,” Prime Minister’s Office in a tweet stated.
“PM Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron had a warm and detailed conversation. Agreed on an ambitious agenda for the next phase of the India-France Strategic Partnership. Underlined that the Indo-French partnership is a force for peace, progress and prosperity,” Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs stated.
“A meeting between two friends. An opportunity to translate the renewed mandate of President Emmanuel Macron into a renewed momentum for the India-France Strategic partnership,” Bagchi added.
The two sides also expressed serious concern at the ongoing conflict and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and urged for an immediate cessation of hostilities to bring the two adversaries together to promote dialogue and diplomacy.
During the meeting, India and France expressed deep concern about the current aggravation of global food security and nutrition, already impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, especially in developing countries, the Ministry of External Affairs said.
India and France also expressed satisfaction over the progress achieved over the Jaitapur EPR project for access to reliable, affordable and low carbon energy. The two sides expressed their satisfaction over the efforts made by AFD and India Exim Bank to step up their support for sustainable finance in the Indo-Pacific region and agreed to intensify their cooperation in this area.
The pair also took stock of several transnational issues including Afghanistan and explored ways to work together in making the India-France Strategic Partnership a force for global good, MEA said further.