France’s Emmanuel Macron shares special message for Indians on PM Modi’s visit

16th July 2023: On Saturday night, French President Emmanuel Macron shared a video of significant events from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France. This film depicted events such as PM Modi receiving the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour and the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force marching in the Bastille Day parade.

It also showed Rafale jets taking part in the Bastille Day celebration. Macron tweeted the nearly two-minute-long video, writing, “To the people of India, trust and friendship.”

Aside from that, PM Modi attended a banquet meal at the Louvre and delegation-level talks at the Elysee Palace. After signing a number of agreements, PM Modi and Macron posed for a selfie. The video also shows actor and filmmaker R Madhavan speaking briefly with President Macron before the French President takes a photo with Modi.

Madhavan said to Macron, “It is such a pleasure. I am a huge fan.”

Prime Minister Modi and President Macron issued a joint statement titled “Horizon 2047: 25th Anniversary of India-France Strategic Partnership, Towards a Century of India-France Relations.” In a joint announcement, India and France declared that they will work together to build a combat aircraft engine.

The French business Safran and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will develop a plan for this cooperative project by the end of 2023. The “timely delivery” of 36 Rafale fighter jets to the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the success of the P75 programme were also noted in the joint statement.

Following the success of the first Scorpene submarine construction programme (P75-Kalavari), an MoU was also inked between Mazagaon Dockyard Ltd and Naval Group for the creation of three submarines. Aside from defence collaboration, the statement mentioned strengthening scientific and economic ties between the two countries through multiple agreements between India’s ISRO and France’s CNES.

These agreements cover topics such as reusable launchers, the completion of the joint Earth observation satellite TRISHNA, the first phase of the Indian Ocean maritime surveillance satellite constellation, and the protection of Indo-French satellites in orbit from collision.

The two countries also agreed to welcome 30,000 Indian students in France by 2030, as well as to grant Indian students with a Master’s degree who have studied at a French university a five-year short-stay Schengen visa. India and France also announced the establishment of a Consulate General of India in Marseille and a Bureau de France in Hyderabad.