Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday commended the strengthening of trade, investment, and technology ties, including in areas of digital technology and Artificial Intelligence, as well as India France partnership on Digital Public Infrastructure.

In this context, PM Modi welcomed the initiative of President Macron to organise the forthcoming AI Action Summit in France.

Advertisement

Modi met Macron, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the third meeting between the two leaders this year, after President Macron’s visit to India as the Chief Guest for the Republic Day celebrations in January and their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Italy in June.

Referring to Macron as his “friend”, PM Modi congratulated the French President on the successful hosting of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics earlier this year.

In a post on X, Modi said, “It is always a matter of immense joy to meet my friend, President Emmanuel Macron. Complimented him on the successful hosting of the Paris Olympics and Paralympics earlier this year.”

“We talked about how India and France will keep working closely in sectors like space, energy, AI, and other such futuristic areas. Our nations will also work closely to enhance people-to-people linkages,” PM Modi added.

During the meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to advance the India-France Strategic Partnership as well as their shared vision for bilateral cooperation and international partnership, outlined in the Horizon 2047 roadmap and other bilateral declarations.

They commended the progress achieved in bilateral cooperation, including in strategic areas such as defense, space and civil nuclear energy, and committed to accelerating it further with a view to reinforcing their shared commitment to strategic autonomy. They also reviewed the progress of cooperation on India’s National Museum project.

Both leaders also exchanged views on regional and international issues, including the Indo-Pacific. They reaffirmed their commitment to work together to reinvigorate and reform multilateralism and help build a stable international order.

PM Modi also met with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store in Rio de Janeiro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

Both Prime Ministers took stock of the progress in bilateral relations and discussed ways to further strengthen cooperation in various fields. Noting that the signing of the India – European Free Trade Association – Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (India-EFTA-TEPA) was an important milestone in bilateral relations, the two leaders reaffirmed its significance for attracting greater investments into India from EFTA countries, including Norway.

Bilateral discussions also focused on enhancing cooperation in areas like blue economy, renewable energy, green hydrogen, solar and wind projects, geo-thermal energy, green shipping, Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS), fisheries, space and the Arctic.

The leaders also discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest.

Calling the meeting with the Norwegian Prime Minister as “excellent”, PM Modi said closer cooperation in sectors like innovation and research were discussed in the meeting.

In a post on X, Modi said, “The meeting with Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store was excellent. Our Arctic Policy has led to further cementing of India-Norway bilateral relations. We talked about how investment linkages between our nations can improve, particularly in renewable energy, green hydrogen, and the blue economy. Closer cooperation in sectors like innovation and research were also discussed.”

PM Modi also held meetings with leaders from Indonesia and Portugal at the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brazil.

PM Modi met with the newly elected President of Indonesia, Prabowo Subianto, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the first meeting of the two leaders.

The Prime Minister congratulated President Subianto on his assumption of office. The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties in the framework of their Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. They discussed cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, defence and security, connectivity, tourism, health, and people-to-people ties. Both leaders noted that India and Indonesia are commemorating 75 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations and called for celebrating the occasion in a befitting manner.

The leaders also exchanged views on global and regional issues. Discussing their close collaboration within the G 20, they called for giving primacy to the concerns of the Global South. They also reviewed ongoing cooperation in multilateral and plurilateral arenas, including ASEAN.

PM Modi also met with Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic, Luís Montenegro, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This was the first meeting between the two leaders.

Prime Minister Modi congratulated PM Montenegro on his assumption of office in April 2024 and conveyed his desire to work together to deepen and strengthen bilateral ties between India and Portugal. PM Montenegro congratulated PM Modi on his third term in office.

The leaders discussed bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade and investment, defence, science and technology, tourism, culture, and people to people ties. They underscored the growing potential for collaboration in new and emerging areas such as IT and digital technologies, renewable energy, startups and innovation, and mobility of professionals and skilled workers. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional developments and global issues of mutual interest including India-EU relations. They agreed to continue the existing close cooperation in regional and multilateral fora.

The leaders noted that the year 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between India and Portugal. They agreed to jointly celebrate the occasion in a befitting manner. Both leaders agreed to stay in touch with each other.