India, France to expand strategic partnership in keay matters
WORLD: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron Sunday held delegation-level talks at Villa Kérylos in Nice focusing on enhancing the Special Global Strategic Partnership between India and France. Key sectors discussed included defense, technology and trade with both leaders accompanied by senior officials from their respective governments.
In conjunction with the talks, Modi and Macron inaugurated the Bharat Innovates event at Palais des Expositions, a significant platform for Indian deep-tech start-ups, attracting global investors and innovation funds. The three-day event showcases 120 innovative start-ups and over 20 Institutes of Excellence across critical technological areas highlighting India's growth as a technological hub.
Modi underscored the importance of this initiative as a conduit for connecting Indian innovators with European capital, praising the nation's startup revolution and its contributions to global challenges in fields like artificial intelligence, space technology and sustainable energy. He noted that India has over 200,000 startups and promotes a model of human-centric innovation.
Macron recognised India's status as a global innovation leader and praised its engineering talent and remarkable achievements, such as the Chandrayaan mission. He expressed pride in hosting the inaugural event of Bharat Innovates outside India and acknowledged Modi as the longest-serving elected Prime Minister since Independence.
After the inauguration, Modi and Macron visited the exhibition mingling with start-up founders, researchers and investors further solidifying the partnership and communication between the innovation ecosystems of both nations.
Prime Minister and his delegation will leave for Slovakia Sunday night.