Held extensive talks on the sidelines of Rio G20 Summit to strengthen the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron were working jointly towards the completion of several key Indo-French goals all the way to 2047 - the centenary year of India's Independence.
The two leaders reaffirmed commitment to their shared vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership outlined in the Horizon 2047 roadmap as well as other declarations on bilateral declarations, during their meeting.
"It is always a matter of immense joy to meet my friend, President Emmanuel Macron. Complimented him on the successful hosting of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics earlier this year", PM Modi posted on X after meeting Macron.
It was the third meeting this year between the two leaders, following President Macron's visit to India as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations in January, as well as their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy in June.
We spoke about India and France continuing to work closely in fields like space, energy, artificial intelligence, and other such future fields. Our nations will work closely to improve the people-to-people linkage also, said PM Modi
The past couple of years have seen the two leaders firmly cement their friendship and the ties between New Delhi and Paris with Macron considering India "a giant in the course of world history with a decisive role to play in the future" under the prime ministership of Mr Modi.
On Monday night, India time, both leaders sat down in Rio de Janeiro to take stock of the success being made in strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, and economic cooperation, including areas of industrial diversification between the two countries.
"Always a pleasure to meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as our partnership with India is both rich and multifaced," Macron said while posting the video of him hugging PM Modi.
He added, "We reviewed the progress on the initiatives launched during my State visit last January, as well as key international issues.".
The Ministry of External Affairs later said in a statement that the two leaders welcomed the progress made in bilateral cooperation, notably in the strategic sectors like defence, space, and civil nuclear energy, and agreed to expedite it further in order to strengthen their common commitment to strategic autonomy.
They also reviewed cooperation work on the project of India's National Museum.
"The two leaders welcomed the further strengthening of ties on trade, investment, and technology, and its areas such as digital technology, Artificial Intelligence, besides collaborating in India France partnership on Digital Public Infrastructure. This context saw the Prime Minister welcome the initiative taken by President Macron to organize the forthcoming AI Action Summit in France," the MEA elaborated.
Ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East also figured prominently during the discussions.
"Both leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues, including the Indo-Pacific. They reaffirmed their commitment to work together to reinvigorate and reform multilateralism and help build a stable international order," the MEA statement added.
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