New Delhi: French President Emmanuel Macron will pay an official visit to India from February 17 to 19, the French Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Tuesday.This will be Macron’s first visit to India since January 2024, when he attended the annual Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest. In February last year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited France. “The two leaders will discuss strengthening bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas as contained in the Horizon 2047 roadmap. In addition, the two leaders will also discuss regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region,” the MEA said in a statement. statement. “The two leaders will also jointly launch the Indo-France Year of Innovation in Mumbai, which both countries will celebrate in 2026. On February 19, President Macron will attend the Artificial Intelligence Impact Summit in New Delhi. “Meanwhile, ahead of Macron’s visit, the Defense Acquisition Council (DAC), chaired by Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, is scheduled to meet to consider several large defense procurement proposals. The most important of these is the proposal that 114 products made in France may be granted the Acceptance of Necessary (AoN) Rafale fighter jet The cost is Rs 325 crore.Also read: Ahead of Macron’s visit, the DAC is likely to meet next week to approve the deal to buy 114 Rafale fighter jetsAbout 80% of the 114 Rafale fighter jets planned to be purchased under the agreement are planned to be manufactured in India.
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