Modi–Macron Talks in Mumbai Seal AI, Defence and Innovation Push

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held bilateral talks in Mumbai on Tuesday. The discussions led to the conclusion of several deals and various announcements in key sectors such as defence procurement, artificial intelligence, clean energy, and enhancing the bilateral trade relationship.

At the much-anticipated bilateral engagement, Modi and Macron launched the Indo-French Centre for AI in Health, the Indo-French Centre for Digital Science and Technology, and the National Centre of Alliance for Skilling in Aeronautics.

Modi remarked that “these are not just institutes; they are future-building platforms.”

The two leaders also virtually inaugurated the final assembly line of H125 helicopters, which will be jointly manufactured by Tata and Airbus in Karnataka.

“India-France partnership knows no boundaries. It can reach from deep oceans to the tallest mountains,” Modi said at the press conference. He added that amid elevated geopolitical vulnerabilities and uncertainties, the India-France partnership is a force for stability in such an environment.

Year of Innovation

Modi and Macron also launched the India-France Year of Innovation as a strategic initiative to transform the bilateral partnership into a “Partnership of the People.” Modi stated that the goal of the initiative is to strengthen people-to-people connections, underscoring the need for collaboration. Under the India-France Year of Innovation, the two countries will connect their industries and innovators in crucial sectors such as defence, clean energy, space, and emerging technologies.

India-France Defence Deal

New Delhi and Paris renewed the defence cooperation agreement for another ten years at the 6th India-France Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru on Tuesday. The meeting was co-chaired by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and France’s Minister of the Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs, Catherine Vautrin.

As per a Times of India report citing sources, India asked France to increase “indigenous content” in the Rafale by up to 50% and expand the Rafale’s maintenance, repair, and overhaul facility in India.

The two ministries also discussed a wide range of bilateral security and defence issues, including priority areas for co-development and co-production of defence equipment, reports said. An MoU for a joint venture was signed for the manufacturing of Hammer missiles by the CMD of state-owned Bharat Electronics Limited and the Executive Vice-President of Safran Electronics and Defence.

“We take pride in the fact that, together, India and France will manufacture in India the world’s only helicopter capable of flying to the heights of Mount Everest and export it to the entire world,” Modi stated after the facility inauguration.