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Emmanuel Macron in India: French Prez, Modi attend CEO's Forum; highlights

French President Emmanuel Macron is on a 4-day India visit with wife Brigitte Marie-Claude Macron, besides senior ministers from his Cabinet

BS Web Team  |  New Delhi 

Emmanuel Macron
PM Narendra Modi welcomes French President Emmanuel Macron at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Photo: @MEAIndia
French President Emmanuel Macron is in India on a four-day visit. President Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi held delegation-level talks in the national capital on Saturday. On Friday night, Macron arrived in New Delhi and Prime Minister Modi received him at the airport in a special gesture. After the talks, India and France signed 14 agreements. During the delegation-level talks, both leaders were expected to review the progress so far in India-France bilateral relations and exchange their views on regional and international issues of mutual interest for both nations. French President Macron on Saturday held talks with External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj. Ahead of the meeting with the EAM, President Macron and wife, Brigitte Macron, paid their tribute to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. Earlier on Saturday morning, Macron and his wife Brigitte arrived at the Rashtrapati Bhawan and the French President inspected the guard of honour. At the Rashtrapati Bhawan, President Macron met with his counterpart, President Ram Nath Kovind, his wife Savita Kovind, and Prime Minister Modi. Here are the top 10 developments regarding the Modi-Macron meeting and India-France bilateral relations: 1) Modi, Macron at CEOs Forum in New Delhi: MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted that more than 1,000 French companies, with more than $7 billion investment, were present in India. Further, Kumar said that Prime Minister Modi and President Macron interacted with Indian and French CEOs to take the partnership forward at the CEO's Forum. 2) Macron meets President Ram Nath Kovind 3) Macron interacts with students: The French President is currently interacting with students at New Delhi's Bikaner house. He stressed on the need of more exchanges with students. "I think we need more exchange between our people, our students. I want most of the researchers to come to France and I am happy to be here today," Macron said. You can watch it live here: 4) India, France sign deals worth $16 billion: According to the French presidency's statement, on the first day of President Macron's visit to India, French and Indian companies on Saturday signed contracts worth 13 billion euros ($16 billion). The deals include a contract for France's Safran to supply SpiceJet with engines, water system modernisation by Suez in the southern city of Davangere, and a contract between industrial gas company Air Liquide and Sterlite. Further, Macron's office said that some 200 million euros of investments would be made in India. An "Industrial Way Forward Agreement" was also signed between French utility EDF and India's NPCIL for the construction of six nuclear reactors at Jaitapur. Click here to read the full text of India-France joint statement 5) Modi welcomes French investments in joint statement with Macron: Prime Minister Modi and French President Macron issued joint statement after holding extensive talks. Addressing the joint media event with Macron, Prime Minister Modi said that India and France have robust cooperation in fields of defence and security. President Macron, for his part, said that India and France have decided to work together to deal with the threat posed by terrorism and radicalisation. Defence cooperation between the two countries now has a new significance, the French President said. While the India-France strategic partnership is only 20 years old, the spiritual partnership between our nations and civilisations is centuries long, Prime Minister Modi said. Further, the Prime Minister said that liberty, equality, and fraternity not only echoed in France, but were also deeply embedded in India's constitution. We want the youth of India and France to know each other's countries, the Prime Minister said, adding that in that direction, both sides have signed two agreements on Saturday. Promoting his government's flagship Make in India programme, Prime Minister Modi said that India welcomed investments from France in the defence sector. Modi and Macron also talked about cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. 6) India, France sign 14 agreements: After extensive talks between Prime Minister Modi and French President Macron, India and France inked key pacts in the strategic areas of security, nuclear energy, and the protection of classified information. Agreements in the field of education, environment, urban development, and railways were also signed in the presence of the two leaders. In all, according to news agency ANI, India and France signed 14 agreements. 7) PM Modi, President Macron hold talks: Prime Minister Modi and French President Macron held delegation-level talks on Saturday to explore ways to deepen the India-France bilateral cooperation in the areas of defence, security, trade, and investment. "Another chapter in the glorious book of our friendship! PM @narendramodi welcomes President of France @EmmanuelMacron at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi ahead of the bilateral talks," MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar tweeted, along with pictures of the two leaders. During the meeting, Modi and Macron are expected to review the progress achieved in India-France bilateral relations. They will also exchange views on regional and international issues that are of mutual interest to both nations. Further, several agreements are expected to be signed between India and France in various areas. 8) Macron meets Swaraj: French President Macron on Saturday met with EAM Sushma Swaraj to discuss the further enhancement of ties between India and France in various sectors. President Macron on Saturday arrived at the Rashtrapati Bhawan and inspected a guard of honour.

President Macron, who was accompanied by his wife Brigitte Macron, met with his counterpart, President Ram Nath Kovind, his wife Savita Kovind, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. After inspecting the guard of honour and meeting other officials, Macron said, "I am very happy and proud of this visit. I thank the President (Kovind) and Prime Minister (Modi) for this welcome. I think we have a very good chemistry and our two great democracies have a historic relationship."

Macron and his wife Brigitte also paid their tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat. 9) 'New era of India-France ties': Further, the French President stated that his India visit would open up a new era of India-France strategic partnership in the coming decades."Our two democracies have common channels like terrorism, lots of common risks and common threats. But we have to protect this history and the state for freedom," President Macron added. President Macron also said that both India and France were committed to addressing climatic change and termed it as a 'critical battle' not only for the two countries but for other countries as well. ALSO READ: Emmanuel Macron, Modi to visit Varanasi; CM Adityanath checks preparations French President Macron called for his country to be India's best partner in Europe. "I want my country to be the best partner in Europe. This is a strong message. I want Indian citizens coming to France for studying, becoming entrepreneurs and opening start-ups." ALSO READ: Rafale deal win-win but details can't be revealed, says France's Macron 10) Maritime security and terrorism in focus: Briefing the media on Friday on President Macron's India visit, Joint Secretary in the MEA, K Nagaraj Naidu, said, "India has a very deep engagement with France in several areas, including space". "Issues of maritime security and terrorism will be discussed during the visit of French President," Naidu added. Stepping up cooperation in the Indian Ocean region will be one of the top issues that will be discussed by Macron and Prime Minister Modi during delegation-level talks. "France has particularly supported India's perspective on terror in South Asia. We are seeing convergence in new areas, particularly maritime security, counter-terrorism and renewable energy," K Nagraj Naidu, joint secretary (Europe-west), told reporters. Macron's India visit aims at strengthening the bilateral economic, political, and strategic dimension of engagement between the two countries. Besides, the visit is also aimed at forging not only strong manufacturing and technology partnerships but also greater people to people contacts. ALSO READ: Maritime security, counter-terror on agenda of Macron-Modi Saturday meet The bilateral trade between India and France from April 2016 to March 2017 reached $10.95 billion. Further, France is the ninth-largest foreign investor in India with a cumulative investment of over $6 billion from April 2000 to October 2017. Apart from defence and security, cooperation in nuclear energy and space are the other pillars of the India-France strategic partnership. The two sides will also sign an agreement on co-development of a full-fledged satellite constellation in the maritime domain. "In the area of space, India and France have a matured engagement and we would like to take it to a new level," Naidu said. The Indo-French cooperation in the area of space is more than five-decades-old. Besides conventional areas, thrust would also be on renewable energy, high-speed train and stepping cooperation in trade. ALSO READ: Macron's India visit: Pact to be signed to accept professional degrees 11) Macron to take part in Town Hall and International Solar Alliance Summit: After holding delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi on Saturday, President Macron will take part in a Town Hall and have an interactive session, in which nearly 300 students from different institutions are expected to participate. On the same day, he will also take part in a Knowledge Summit which will be attended by more than 200 academicians from both sides. President Macron will also visit Varanasi, the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Modi, on March 12. He, along with Modi, will inaugurate a solar plant in Uttar Pradesh's Mirzapur. ALSO READ: French president Macron heads to India, seeking to avoid Trudeau errors On March 11, President Macron will attend the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Summit, an initiative mooted by France and India. The ISA Summit, expected to be attended by several heads of the states and governments, is likely to focus on concrete projects. On the same day, he will also visit Taj Mahal in Agra. ALSO READ: Jaitapur nuclear-plant: Framework agreement likely during Macron's visit The ISA is a unique effort that brings the world together to harness solar energy and create a cleaner as well as greener future, he tweeted. The International Solar Conference (ISA), an alliance of more than 121 countries, was initiated by Prime Minister Modi in January 2016. The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
First Published: Sat, March 10 2018. 17:18 IST

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