Paris: President Emmanuel Macron’s extraordinary demonstration of respect and camaraderie during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France has shown the depth of their bilateral relationship. The two leaders have shown their strong personal and diplomatic bonds by sharing moments at the AI Action Summit, traveling in a single motorcade, and even flying to Marseille together.

PM Modi held a dinner on the first day, where President Macron spent time with him. The next day, during the AI Action Summit, which was co-hosted by France and India, the friendship persisted.
They held the India-France CEOs Forum jointly, demonstrating their strong relationship and expressing their common goal of economic cooperation.

In an incredible show of camaraderie, the two presidents also flew to Marseille on the same aircraft and in a combined motorcade. As soon as he landed in Marseille, President Macron invited Prime Minister Modi to a working dinner.

This unique connection will be further emphasized today when President Macron and Prime Minister Modi open the Indian Consulate in Marseille. To further highlight the significance of this special collaboration, they will also go together to the Marseille port and the ITER project.

Notably, on February 10–12, PM Modi will be visiting France. Alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, he co-chaired Tuesday’s AI Action Summit in Paris.

After that, on February 12–13, PM Modi will go to the US to meet with US President Donald Trump and other top US government officials.

When PM Modi first arrived in Marseille, France, he emphasized the importance of the Indian Consulate there, which would be crucial to establishing “people-to-people” relations between France and India.

As one of the entrance sites for the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), Marseille’s strategic position on the Mediterranean coast makes it a vital gateway for commerce between France and India.

The Indian troops who died as “martyrs” in the First and Second World Wars will also get his respect, he said.

Macron visited India as the Chief Guest on the 75th Republic Day of India earlier in January 2024. It was the sixth visit by a French leader as the Republic Day Guest of Honor and President Macron’s second state visit to India.

As stated in Horizon 2047 and other papers from the July 2023 Summit, PM Modi and President Macron had at the time reiterated their common vision for bilateral cooperation and international engagement.

One of France’s closest allies is India; the two nations have a long history of mutual respect and trust and have been strategic partners since 1998. According to the French Embassy in New Delhi, France and India commemorated 25 years of their strategic cooperation in 2023.