French President Emmanuel Macron is all set to make his maiden visit to India almost six months after being elected. Macron will be in India from December 8 to 10 according to sources. This will be the first time that the French President will be holding official talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Prior to this meeting, both PM Modi and Emmanuel Macron met during the G20 summit which was held in Hamburg this July.
India is preparing to host him as the chief guest at the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit which is scheduled to be held on December 9. This ties in with India’s public commitment to the Paris climate agreement despite US pulling out. ISA is coalition of 121 solar rich countries to address energy needs which will become a legal entity during the summit with the adoption of a legal instrument.
Macron’s visit to India comes less than two years after former French President Francois Hollande visited India in January 2016 who was the chief guest at the Republic Day celebration. While Macron, 37, will come to Delhi, South Block is discussing the possibility of hosting him in another city as well. So far, Macron has visited US, Austraia, Bulgaria, Estonia, Greece, Luxembourg, Morocco, Romania, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Mali and has made three visits to Germany. This will be the French President’s maiden voyage to Asia.
This will be the first time that the French President will be holding official talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Reuters)
