Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday met French President Emmanuel Macron at Hyderabad House here in the national capital ahead of the bilateral talks between the two nations.
“Another chapter in the glorious book of our friendship! PM @narendramodi welcomes President of France, @EmmanuelMacron at the Hyderabad House in New Delhi ahead of the bilateral talks,” tweeted External Affairs Minister (EAM) Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.
Before meeting Modi, Macron held an interaction with EAM Sushma Swaraj and discussed ways to strengthen and deepen the strategic partnership between India and France.
In the morning, Macron received a ceremonial reception at the Rashtrapati Bhavan where he was greeted by President Ram Nath Kovind and Modi.
He then paid tributes to Mahatma Gandhi at Rajghat along with his wife Brigitte.
The Macrons laid a wreath of white, blue and red flowers—representing the national colours of France– and then offered rose petals at the memorial of the ‘father of the nation’ on the banks of River Yamuna.
Macron is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It will be followed by delegation-level talks and signing of various deals.
Breaking protocol, Modi had on Friday received Macron at the airport when he arrived here on a four-day visit, during the course of which the two leaders will co-chair the founding conference of the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
Modi welcomed Macron with a warm hug as soon as he alighted from the aircraft and shook hands with his wife.
On Sunday, Modi and Macron will co-chair the founding conference of the India-initiated International Solar Alliance (ISA), which was launched by Modi and then French President Francois Hollande during the Paris climate summit in 2015.
During the course of his stay in India, Macron will also visit Agra and Varanasi and have a town hall interaction with students in New Delhi.