Macron greets 'friend' PM Modi on I-Day, says India-France strategic partnership to deepen towards 2047

Paris, Aug 15 (IANS) French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday congratulated "friend" Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the people of India on the country's 79th Independence Day, hoping that the strategic partnership between both countries will continue to deepen towards 2047 and beyond.

"Warm congratulations to the people of India on your 79th Independence Day! I fondly recall welcoming my friend Narendra Modi to France in February, and look forward to deepening our strategic partnership towards 2047 and beyond," Macron posted on X.

Last month, France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs of France Jean-Noel Barrot had highlighted that France and India are united by trust and driven by shared ambition.

"Let's keep building our strategic partnership!” Barrot wrote while thanking External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar for his greetings to the French government and the people of France on the country's National day on July 14.

Reaffirming the robust and long-standing strategic partnership between India and France, EAM Jaishankar was in Paris in June on a trip that came within four months of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's landmark visit to France for the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Action Summit.

With discussions reflecting the deep trust, comfort, and shared ambition that characterize the India-France bilateral ties, the two sides remain committed to fully implement the Horizon 2047 Roadmap and Defence Industrial Roadmap that were agreed between Macron and PM Modi.

The roadmap sets the course for the bilateral relationship up to 2047, which will celebrate the centenary of India's independence, the centenary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries and 50 years of the strategic partnership.

Both sides have also expressed satisfaction in the advances made in bilateral cooperation in emerging sectors of technology, innovation, trade, investment, health, life sciences, education, talent mobility, museum cooperation and people-to-people ties while exploring new avenues of cooperation to further strengthen bilateral relations.

New Delhi and Paris are also looking forward to the celebration of India-France Year of Innovation next year in a befitting manner, that will add another dimension to the bilateral relationship.

--IANS

/as