PM Modi with France’s Macron.
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday shared a car ride with French President Emmanuel Macron as the two leaders travelled to the India-France Innovation Forum after holding bilateral and delegation-level talks in Mumbai. Macron posted a picture of the two leaders in the car with the caption “Jai Ho”. PM Modi said that after talks and press statements at Lok Bhavan, they were heading to further engagements, including the Innovation Forum. During the visit, India and France elevated their ties to a ‘special global strategic partnership’, pledging to expand cooperation in defence, trade and critical minerals. Both leaders described the relationship as a ‘force for global stability’ amid rising geopolitical uncertainty. Following the talks, the leaders also virtually inaugurated an assembly line in Karnataka’s Vemagal to manufacture H125 helicopters by Airbus, a move expected to strengthen India’s aerospace manufacturing ecosystem. The two sides signed 21 agreements and documents aimed at expanding collaboration across sectors such as critical minerals, defence, high technology, renewable energy and healthcare. Key agreements included a defence cooperation pact and a joint venture between Bharat Electronics Ltd and Safran to manufacture Hammer missiles in India. Another agreement provides for reciprocal deployment of officers between the Indian Army and the French Land Forces.PM Modi hosted Macron for the talks hours after the French president arrived in Mumbai for a three-day India visit. “The world is going through a period of uncertainty. In such an environment, the India-France partnership is a force for global stability. We are combining France’s expertise and India’s scale,” PM Modi said in his media statement. He described France as one of India’s oldest strategic partners and said both sides have infused their relationship with ‘unprecedented depth and energy’. “Based on this trust and shared vision, today we are establishing our relationship as a ‘special global strategic partnership’,” PM Modi said, adding that the partnership supports both global stability and progress. Referring to the helicopter project, PM Modi said the assembly line reflects deep mutual trust. He noted that the helicopter can operate at extreme altitudes, including near Mount Everest, and will be exported globally. “In other words, the India-France partnership knows no boundaries; it can reach from deep oceans to the tallest mountain,” he added.
