Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Feb 17: India and France are set to further deepen their strategic partnership as Prime Minister Narendra Modi hosts French President Emmanuel Macron for high-level bilateral talks in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Macron, on a three-day visit to India, will also participate in the AI Summit in New Delhi on Thursday. Official sources indicated that close to a dozen agreements and MoUs are likely to be signed following the bilateral meeting, spanning defence, trade, skilling, health and supply chains.
The two leaders will jointly inaugurate the India-France Year of Innovation and Cultural Commemoration at the iconic Gateway of India on Tuesday evening. The Year of Innovation will be celebrated through 2026 in both countries, according to the Ministry of External Affairs.
The visit comes days after the Indian government approved a proposal to procure 114 Dassault Rafale fighter jets from France under a government-to-government framework — a move expected to significantly enhance the capabilities of the Indian Air Force.
India and France will also hold their 6th Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru on Tuesday, where the renewal of their defence cooperation agreement for another 10 years is expected.
Discussions are likely to focus on enhanced collaboration involving air and maritime assets, aligned with the ambitious Defence Industrial Roadmap agreed upon in 2024.
Beyond bilateral cooperation, the two leaders are expected to deliberate on pressing regional and global developments, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the situation in Gaza and the Indo-Pacific region.
India considers France — a resident power in the Indian Ocean — an indispensable partner in the Indo-Pacific architecture. With uncertainty surrounding the future trajectory of the Quad grouping, New Delhi sees Paris as a reliable and long-term strategic partner in ensuring regional stability.
Discussions will also review progress under the Horizon 2047 Roadmap, adopted three years ago to chart bilateral cooperation over the next 25 years.
Macron’s participation in the AI Summit in India follows his co-chairing of a similar summit with Modi in France last year. Both leaders had then emphasised their shared commitment to ensuring that artificial intelligence drives social, economic and environmental benefits in the public interest.
They are also expected to assess progress on the India-France Roadmap on AI, rooted in what officials describe as a “philosophical convergence” between the two nations — focusing on the development of safe, open, secure and trustworthy AI systems.
As defence ties expand and technology collaboration gathers pace, the Modi-Macron engagement signals the continued elevation of the India-France strategic partnership across security, innovation and global governance domains.