French President Macron Attends Joint Press-Meet Before AI Summit, Pushes for India-France Partnership Across Key Sectors

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French president Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday attended a joint press-meet in Mumbai. This comes as Macron is set to appear in the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi in the coming days.

In his address, Macron stated that the India-France partnership will be strengthened across key strategic sectors, especially artificial intelligence.

He said both countries will deepen cooperation in AI, including building data centres, expanding computing power, and developing large language models. He added that they also want to ensure AI respects diversity and transparency, describing this as a core pillar of future cooperation.

"We want a future for respectful and open cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. This goes hand in hand with trade cooperation. We believe in fair exchanges. We reject coercion. And that's why I believe that the cooperation agreement between France and India is a good step in the right direction,” the French president said.

He further said both nations will continue working together in this direction, highlighting their shared commitment to advancing AI technology.

Macron further said, “we have a program which underscores these ambitions and will allow our countries to cooperate when it comes to data centers, reinforced computing power, large language model development, but more important is the dissemination of these technologies. We share the same will to have an international artificial intelligence that respects diversity."

Defence Cooperation & Make in India

Macron also described defence cooperation and the “Make in India” initiative as central pillars of the bilateral relationship. He highlighted ongoing and upcoming defence projects, including fighter aircraft, missile production, submarines, and the final assembly line set up by the Tata Group in Bengaluru.

The French president said defence manufacturing under the “Made in India” label reflects deep strategic trust and technological partnership between the two countries.

France is proud to be a reliable partner in the Make in India programme and that its industries are ready to provide full cooperation, Macron stated. He cited examples such as Rafale fighter jets, submarines, the Tata assembly line in Bengaluru, engines for India’s future next-generation fighter aircraft, and the air-to-air missile “Air Hammer,” which will be manufactured in India to display France’s cooperation to India.

“Let me cite the Raphael fighter planes and submarines as well as the final assembly line opened by Tata in Bangalore in Karnataka. The engines for the future NCA new generation fighter aircraft. The new air to sky missile air hammer which will be made in India is only one of many other projects that I would like to mention. Made in India is a label that will help us to ensure cooperation in all the newest technologies," he said.

Beyond this, he also talked about strategic autonomy and rejecting hegemony; Education, visas, innovation, and youth exchange; Joint global leadership, G7, BRICS and geopolitical cooperation.