‘Jai Ho’: PM Modi’s car ride with French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai | India News
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi shared a car ride with the French president on Tuesday Emmanuel Macron After bilateral and delegation-level talks in Mumbai, the two leaders visited the India-France Innovation Forum. Macron posted a photo of the two leaders in a car with the caption “Joy Ho”.PM Modi said that after discussions and press statements at the Lok Bhavan, they are moving towards more engagements including the Innovation Forum. During the visit, India and France upgraded their relationship to a ‘special global strategic partnership’, pledging to expand cooperation in defence, trade and key minerals. Both leaders described the relationship as a ‘force for global stability’ amid growing geopolitical uncertainty. After the talks, the leaders virtually inaugurated an assembly line at Vemagal in Karnataka to manufacture the H125 helicopter by Airbus, an expected move to strengthen India’s aerospace manufacturing ecosystem. The two sides signed 21 agreements and documents aimed at expanding cooperation across sectors such as critical minerals, defense, high technology, renewable energy and healthcare. Key agreements include a defense cooperation agreement and a joint venture between Bharat Electronics Ltd and Safran to manufacture Hammer missiles in India. Another agreement provides for reciprocal deployment of officers between the Indian Army and the French Land Forces.Prime Minister Modi hosted Macron for several hours of talks after the French president arrived in Mumbai on a three-day visit to India. “The world is going through a period of uncertainty. In such an environment, the India-France partnership is a force for global stability. We are bringing together France’s expertise and India’s scale,” PM Modi said in his media statement. He described France as one of India’s oldest strategic partners and said both sides imbued their relationship with ‘unprecedented depth and strength’. “Based on this trust and shared vision, today we are establishing our relationship as a ‘Special Global Strategic Partnership’,” PM Modi said, adding that the partnership supports both global stability and progress. Referring to the helicopter project, PM Modi said the assembly line reflects deep mutual trust. He noted that the helicopter can operate at extreme altitudes, including near Mount Everest, and will be exported worldwide. “In other words, the India-France partnership knows no boundaries; it can reach from the deepest oceans to the highest mountains,” he added.
