New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Sharing a car with the French president on Tuesday Emmanuel Macron The two leaders headed to the India-France Innovation Forum after holding bilateral and delegation-level talks in Mumbai. Macron posted a photo of the two leaders in a car with the caption “Jai Ho.”Prime Minister Modi said that after the talks at the Great Hall of the People and a press statement, they will have further contacts, including an innovation forum. During the visit, India and France upgraded their relationship to a “special global strategic partnership” and pledged to expand cooperation in defence, trade and critical minerals. Both leaders described the relationship as a “force for global stability” amid rising geopolitical uncertainty. After the talks, the two leaders also held a virtual inauguration ceremony for Airbus’ assembly line for the production of H125 helicopters in Vimaggarh, Karnataka, a move expected to strengthen India’s aerospace manufacturing ecosystem. The two sides signed 21 agreements and documents aimed at expanding cooperation in areas such as critical minerals, defense, high technology, renewable energy and health care. Major agreements include a defense cooperation agreement and a joint venture between Bharat Electronics Ltd and Safran to produce Hammer missiles in India. Another agreement provides for the mutual deployment of officers between the Indian Army and the French Army.Prime Minister Modi received Macron hours after the French president arrived in Mumbai for a three-day visit to India. “The world is going through a period of uncertainty. In this environment, the India-France partnership is a force for global stability. We are combining France’s expertise and India’s scale,” Prime Minister Modi said in a media statement. He described France as one of India’s oldest strategic partners and said both sides had injected “unprecedented depth and vitality” into the relationship. “Based on this trust and shared vision, today we are establishing our relationship as a ‘Special Global Strategic Partnership’,” Prime Minister Modi said, adding that such partnerships support global stability and progress. Speaking about the helicopter project, Prime Minister Modi said the assembly line reflected deep mutual trust. He noted that the helicopter can operate at extreme altitudes, including near Mount Everest, and will be exported around the world. “In other words, the Indo-French partnership has no borders; it can stretch from the deep sea to the highest mountains,” he added.
