Upon his arrival in Paris on Thursday for a two-day trip, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was given a red-carpet welcome. During this time, he will meet with President Emmanuel Macron and hold extensive discussions with him, as well as participate with him as the Guest of Honour in the celebrations of French National Day.
“Landed in Paris. Looking forward to boosting India-France cooperation during this visit. My various programmes today include an interaction with the Indian community later in the evening,” Modi made a tweet post arriving in Paris.
Elisabeth Borne, the French prime minister, gave Modi a special welcome at the airport. At the airport, he received a guard of honour, and both nations’ national anthems were played.
“PM @narendramodi alights at the Paris airport. Accorded a ceremonial welcome. In a special gesture, PM @Elisabeth_Borne received him at the airport. PM’s intensive programme in Paris includes participation in the Bastille Day celebrations & a slew of engagements with the French leadership, Indian diaspora, CEOs and prominent personalities,” Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi mentioned in a tweet.
Modi aimed to address the expansion of bilateral defence ties and aims to strike accord with Macron.
“I look forward to meeting President Macron and holding wide-ranging discussions on taking forward this longstanding and time-tested partnership over the next 25 years,” Modi averred.
“We also work together on regional and global issues,” he further added.
According to Modi, his trip to France would be extra-special because he will participate in the Bastille Day ceremonies in Paris alongside President Macron as the Guest of Honour.
The parade will feature a 269-member Indian tri-services contingent. Along with French aircraft, three Rafale fighter jets from the Indian Air Force (IAF) will participate in the flypast on this special occasion.
As the India-France strategic partnership celebrates its 25th anniversary this year, Modi noted that the two nations work closely in a variety of areas, including trade, investment, education, culture, human rights, defence, space exploration, and civil nuclear energy.
“I also look forward to my interactions with the French leadership, including Elisabeth Borne, Prime Minister of France, Gerard Larcher, President of the Senate, and Yael Braun-Pivet, President of the National Assembly,” he mentioned.
On July 15, Modi will depart from Paris and fly to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
