French President Macron shares ‘nice’ selfie with PM Modi, discusses AI, trade, infra during bilateral talks

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday shared a “nice” selfie with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in the French Mediterranean city last night and inaugurated the 'Bharat Innovates' event.

He held talks with Macron on a broad range of subjects, including artificial intelligence, startups, trade, infrastructure, mobility, and healthcare, according to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA). The leaders also discussed several important regional and global developments and exchanged perspectives on key international issues, as per PTI.

An innovation roadmap, a plan to double annual bilateral trade over the next five years, and a joint framework on artificial intelligence were among the 13 key outcomes of the extensive discussions between PM Modi and President Macron on Sunday.

The two countries also finalised a declaration aimed at strengthening cooperation in the high-speed rail sector and signed a security agreement for the protection of classified information. In addition, they agreed to broaden the reach of India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) by extending its availability to Paris Airport and the city of Nice.

"A further step to strengthen India-France partnership! PM @narendramodi held bilateral talks with President @EmmanuelMacron where they reviewed the progress in India-France Special Global Strategic Partnership," the ministry's spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated in a post on X.

He added, “The leaders discussed areas including innovation, trade & investment, sustainability, security, culture and people to people ties. The meeting resulted in several outcomes in areas of innovation & AI, science & space, startups & fintech, trade & infrastructure, mobility and health among others. The leaders also exchanged views on key international and regional issues.”

What did Macron say?

Speaking alongside PM Modi at the inauguration of Bharat Innovates 2026, Macron highlighted that India’s emergence as a major global power has become a key pillar of France’s strategic, industrial, and academic outlook for the 21st century.

"Our partnerships have been transforming, and India has become a deep reality. We have to work to improve the situation, to come up with more decarbonised energy, and to continue cooperating in terms of research and observation to be able to have an open science," Macron said, as per ANI.

He also noted that, in addition to their collaboration through the International Solar Alliance, the two countries are exploring cooperation in the field of nuclear energy, including Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), to support clean energy generation and strengthen energy security.

"In terms of climate and energy, France and India innovate together to guarantee power, self-reliance, and to guarantee the COP21 promises. We are working together on projects today and tomorrow in technologies such as SMRs," Macron stated.

He also underscored the importance of the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), an initiative launched by PM Modi in 2019, which aims to strengthen the resilience of infrastructure systems against climate-related and disaster risks.

"We also installed the International Solar Alliance, one of the major stakeholders at the world level and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI), allowing us to invest in many different countries and also what we can do to get into the nuclear energy realm. We are working together on projects today and tomorrow at Datapower Technologies, such as SMRs. Together we have to work to improve the situation, to come up with more decarbonated energy and to continue cooperating in terms of research and observation to be able to have an open science," Macron stated.

Ahead of his departure from New Delhi on Saturday, PM Modi mentioned France holds a special place in India's strategic outlook and highlighted the steady growth in bilateral relations between the two countries.

Meanwhile, during his ongoing visit, the Prime Minister is also set to participate in the G7 Summit, where he is expected to hold meetings with US President Donald Trump and several other global leaders.