Prime Minister Modi and President Macron improve Indo-French ties with main agreements on defence, expertise, and schooling.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron convened in Mumbai to solidify bilateral ties between India and France by the signing of a number of key agreements. The leaders mentioned a variety of collaborative efforts aimed toward strengthening their strategic partnership, significantly within the fields of defence and expertise.
The assembly, which occurred on February 17, 2026, featured the digital inauguration of the Airbus H125 helicopter meeting line primarily based in Bengaluru. This venture marks a major step in Indo-French defence cooperation. During a joint press briefing, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the significance of the partnership, referring to France as one among India’s oldest allies and labelling the connection as ‘very special’.
Meanwhile, President Macron emphasised the need of mutual collaboration to counter world hegemony. He remarked, “This is a special global strategic partnership between India and France,” and asserted that the helicopter meeting line symbolises their deep relationship, saying, “We will together manufacture a helicopter flying to Mt Everest.”
Both leaders introduced the launch of three vital establishments: the Indo-French Centre for Artificial Intelligence in Health, the Indo-French Centre for Digital Science and Technology, and the National Centre of Excellence for Skilling in Aeronautics. Prime Minister Modi expressed that these initiatives needs to be considered as platforms for future growth, underscoring the deliberate growth of collaborative efforts in varied sectors.
In his statements, President Macron pointed to the shared aspirations of each nations, affirming, “2026 is a turning point in our relationship.” He elaborated that the latest signing of the Indo-EU Free Trade Agreement would bolster commerce, funding, and mobility between the 2 nations.
The dialogue coated a number of sectors together with defence, nuclear energy, expertise switch, pupil change, and analysis. The French President bolstered France’s dedication to help India in its pursuit of nuclear vitality tasks, such because the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project, and expressed the necessity for better expertise switch between each nations.
On a lighter observe, President Macron took a quick jog alongside Mumbai’s Marine Drive earlier within the day to attach with town’s residents. He later paid homage to the victims of the 2008 terror assaults on the Taj Mahal Palace earlier than attending a cinema-themed lunch with native movie personalities.
The two leaders’ discussions sign a notable shift within the India-France relationship, indicating a way forward for enhanced collaboration to handle world challenges. With each leaders eager to safe a shared prosperity by partnership, the outcomes from this assembly are set to advertise progress in a number of domains important to each nations’ pursuits.