Modi-Macron meet: PM says no boundaries to partnership with France

New Delhi: India and France on Tuesday upgraded their bilateral relations to ‘special global strategic partnership’ following the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai. The two have pledged to improve cooperation in areas such as defense procurement, artificial intelligence (AI) and clean energy.

They also virtually inaugurated the Tata Airbus assembly line at Karnataka’s Vemagal, which produces Airbus H125 light utility helicopters.

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Modi said at the joint press conference: “We are proud that India and France will together produce in India the world’s only helicopter that can fly to the heights of Mount Everest and export it to the whole world.” He said the India-France partnership “has no borders” and extends from the deep oceans to the highest mountains.

“We are expanding defense cooperation, from Rafale jets to submarines,” Macron said. He thanked Modi for the warm welcome during his fourth official visit to India.

Macron described bilateral relations as “remarkable and unique”. He said that this relationship is one of trust, openness and ambition. “There is no doubt about it, because we have full faith in this relationship and have been doing so for the last eight years. We have charted many new paths, working on different things every year.”
A major milestone in bilateral defense and aerospace cooperation, the Tata Airbus facility is expected to strengthen domestic manufacturing capabilities and advance the Make in India initiative in aviation.
The two sides also signed the Joint Declaration of Intent on Cooperation in the Field of Critical Minerals and Metals.
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India-France Year of Innovation

Modi said the launch of the ‘India-France Year of Innovation’ will transform bilateral relations into a “people’s partnership” by emphasizing cooperation in defence, clean energy, space and emerging technologies. He said the initiative will connect industries, startups and MSMEs (micro, small and medium-sized enterprises), promote exchanges between students and researchers, and help establish new centers for joint innovation with France.

Amid growing geopolitical uncertainties, the Prime Minister said the India-France combine is a force for global stability. He emphasized that both will continue to strengthen efforts for stability and prosperity through multilateralism, dialogue and diplomacy.