MUMBAI: French President Emmanuel Macron praised the "remarkable acceleration" of ties with India, after a meeting on Tuesday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai. Macron said the shift came in response to the "changing international order", adding that both countries did not want to "be subjected to any form of hegemony" or the "conflict of a few". India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi said ties between India and France were "very special" after talks with Macron. "The India-France partnership knows no boundaries, it can reach from deep oceans to the tallest mountain," Modi said. "In today's turbulent world, this is a partnership for global stability," he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai, as he begins a three-day visit to India focused on artificial intelligence cooperation and a potential multibillion dollar fighter jet deal. France is seeking to expand its military partnership with New Delhi, with discussions expected on a possible contract for 114 additional French Dassault Rafale fighter jets.
Modi, in a statement on social media addressed to his "dear friend" Macron, after he began his trip with his wife Brigitte in India's financial capital, said he looked forward to "advancing our bilateral ties to new heights". Modi, who will meet Macron later on Tuesday afternoon, said he was "confident that our discussions will further strengthen cooperation".
Macron, on his fourth visit to India since taking office in 2017, began on Tuesday with a programme including honouring the victims of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and meeting Bollywood film stars, including Shabana Azmi and Manoj Bajpayee. He also called Modi his "dear friend", in post on X, saying they will "go even further" in cooperation. The visit follows New Delhi's confirmation last week that it intends to place a major order for Rafale jets, as well as the signing of a landmark free trade agreement between India and the European Union in January. Macron will travel to New Delhi for an artificial intelligence summit on Wednesday and Thursday.
New Delhi has sought over the past decade to reduce its dependence on Russia, its traditional main supplier of military equipment, turning to other countries while also pushing for more domestic production. An Indian defence ministry statement last week said the proposed purchase of Rafale jets had been cleared — with "the majority" of them to be manufactured in India.
Christophe Jaffrelot, an India specialist at Sciences Po Center for International Studies in Paris, described the potential EUR30 billion ($35 billion) deal for 114 Rafales as the "contract of the century". If finalised, the jets would add to the 62 Rafales that India has already purchased. The French presidency has voiced optimism that what it calls a "historic" agreement could be reached.
Modi and Macron inaugurated, via video-conference, India's first helicopter final assembly line, a joint venture between India's Tata Group and Airbus. The facility in Vemagal, in the southern state of Karnataka near the tech hub of Bengaluru, will manufacture the Airbus H125, the company's best-selling single-engine helicopter. France has emerged as one of India's most important defence and economic partners in the last decade. "Through this visit, we seek to further strengthen cooperation" with India, and to "diversify" France's economic and trade partnerships, Macron's office said.
India, the world's most populous country with 1.4 billion people, is on track to become the fourth-largest economy globally. This week's talks are also expected to address global economic uncertainty triggered by tariff policies under US President Donald Trump, as well as China's influence in the region. — AFP
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