Paris to Marseille, PM Modi-Macron bonhomie steals show as I
Paris to Marseille, PM Modi-Macron bonhomie steals show as India and France solidify strategic partnership
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Mazargues War Cemetery in Marseille on Wednesday along with French President Emmanuel Macron and inaugurated the Indian Consulate in Marseille
PARIS — Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Mazargues War Cemetery in
Marseille on Wednesday along with French President Emmanuel Macron, paying
homage to the Indian soldiers who fought in the World Wars and sacrificed their
lives.
The Mazargues War Cemetery is the second largest site
where Indian soldiers were laid to rest in Europe and contains 1,487
Commonwealth war graves from the First World War.
The two leaders then proceeded to inaugurate the Indian
Consulate in Marseille where a large number of Indian diaspora had also
gathered to meet Prime Minister Modi.
In a special gesture reflecting the personal rapport
between the two leaders, PM Modi and President Macron flew together from Paris
to Marseille in the French Presidential Aircraft on Tuesday evening.
"They held discussions on the full spectrum of
bilateral relations and key global and regional issues. This was followed by
delegation level talks after arrival in Marseille. The leaders reaffirmed their
strong commitment to the India-France Strategic Partnership, which has steadily
evolved into a multifaceted relationship over the past 25 years," read a
statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The talks, the statement detailed, covered all aspects of
the India-France strategic partnership. The two leaders reviewed cooperation in
the strategic areas of defence, civil nuclear energy and space.
"They also discussed ways to strengthen
collaboration in the fields of technology and innovation. This area of
partnership assumes greater salience in the backdrop of the just-concluded AI
Action Summit and the upcoming India-France Year of Innovation in 2026. The
leaders also called for enhancing trade and investment ties and in this regard
welcomed the report of the 14th India- France CEOs Forum," it added.
Prime
Minister Modi and President Macron expressed satisfaction at the ongoing
collaboration in the fields of health, culture, tourism, education and
people-to-people ties. They committed to further deepen engagement in the
Indo-Pacific and in global forums and initiatives, the PMO mentioned.
A Joint Statement outlining the way forward for India-
France ties was also adopted after the talks. As many as 10 outcomes in the
areas of technology and Innovation, civil nuclear energy, triangular
cooperation, environment, culture and people-to-people relations were
finalised.
President Macron hosted a dinner in honour of the Prime
Minister in the coastal town of Cassis, near Marseille, on Tuesday while PM
Modi invited the French President to visit India soon.
