Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met French President Emmanuel Macron and British Chancellor Rishi Sunak, who are facing elections in the country, on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy's Puglia region.
Macron has called for early elections following his party's heavy defeat in the European Parliament elections, while Sunak has also called for early elections to be held on July 4 to combat the decline of 14 years of Conservative government.
During the meeting, the two leaders congratulated Prime Minister Modi on his victory in the Lok Sabha elections. The Ministry of External Affairs said the Prime Minister “thanked President Macron for his warm congratulations on taking office for a third consecutive term” and that “Chancellor Sunak congratulated the Prime Minister on his historic third consecutive term.”
“Prime Minister Modi conveyed his best wishes to the people of the UK as they prepare for next month's general elections,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.
In the post X“I had a wonderful meeting with my friend, President Macron,” Prime Minister Modi said.
“this is This is the fourth meeting in one year.“He expressed his prioritization of the strong ties between India and France. During our meeting, we discussed various themes including defence, security, technology, AI and blue economy. We also discussed ways to encourage innovation and research among the youth. I conveyed my heartfelt wishes to him for the Paris Olympics which begin next month,” he said.
A foreign ministry statement about his meeting with Macron said the two leaders reviewed India-France bilateral relations “with a focus on the Horizon 2047 roadmap and the Indo-Pacific roadmap.”
“The discussions included cooperation on defence, nuclear, space, education, climate change action, digital public infrastructure, connectivity and cultural initiatives including partnership with national museums, and strengthening people-to-people ties. They agreed to further strengthen strategic defence cooperation with a focus on 'Make in India',” the statement said.
This sentiment was echoed by President Macron when he visited India for the Republic Day celebrations in January this year and by Prime Minister Modi when he attended Bastille Day celebrations in July last year.
According to an MEA statement, the two countries “agreed to expand cooperation in the areas of AI, critical and emerging technologies, energy and sports, while working closely together in the context of the AI Summit and the UN Ocean Conference to be held in France in 2025.”
The two leaders also exchanged views on major global and regional issues, including the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Hamas conflict, the report said.
“The strong and credible strategic partnership between India and France is crucial for a stable and prosperous world order and we have agreed to work closely to further enhance it,” the MEA said.
PM Modi meets Sunak
Regarding the meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Foreign Secretary Sunak, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “The two leaders reaffirmed their shared determination to further strengthen bilateral ties. They discussed the implementation of Roadmap 2030 and expressed satisfaction with the progress made in all areas of the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, including regular high-level political consultations, defence and security, trade and economic cooperation, critical and hi-tech areas, and people-to-people links.”
Regarding the free trade agreement, the Ministry of External Affairs said, “The two leaders expressed satisfaction with the progress made in the negotiations on the free trade agreement between the two countries. They also discussed regional and multilateral issues of mutual interest.”
Modi said he was “delighted” to meet Sunak and reiterated his commitment to further strengthen the India-UK comprehensive strategic partnership in the third term of the NDA government. “There is significant scope for deepening ties in areas such as semiconductors, technology and trade. We also discussed further strengthening ties in the defence sector,” he said.
“The two leaders discussed their mutual commitment to the security and prosperity of their countries and praised the strength of the relationship,” according to a statement from 10 Downing Street.
During his meeting with Italian Foreign Minister Georgia Meloni, PM Modi discussed defence cooperation, cultural exchanges and green energy.
“The strong ties between India and Japan are crucial to a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific,” Modi wrote on Twitter after meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
