PM Modi raises a toast to India-France relations at Banquet dinner with Emmanuel Macron

At the banquet dinner that France President Emmanuel Macron was hosting for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, PM Modi raised a toast to the friendship between France and India. PM Modi earlier attended the Bastille Day celebrations and also met with thought leaders and business figures at the Élysée Palace in Paris. 

PM Modi arrived at the Louvre for the banquet dinner. He was received by French President Emmanuel Macron and French First Lady Brigitte Macron. 

While raising the toast, the Indian Prime minister said, “I congratulate the people of France on Bastille Day. It was a matter of happiness and pride for me to celebrate Bastille Day with the people of France. French President Emmanuel Macron conferred me with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. It is a matter of pride and honour for the 140 crore people of india. I thank French President Emmanuel Macron and French First Lady Brigitte Macron for this honour.”

"In the past 25 years, the world faced many ups and downs and challenging times, but the friendship between France and India continued to grow deeper. We are contributing not only to the welfare of both countries but also to world peace and security. Our partnership is a force for global good," he added. 

Apart from the Bastille day celebrations and dinner hosted by the French President, the leaders of both nations also engaged in delegation level talks. 

(Delegation level talks between Indian and French leaders. | Image: Twitter/@MEAIndia)  

The spokesperson of the MEA, Arindam Bagchi, tweeted, “Charting the future of Strategic Partnership. PM @narendramodi and President @EmmanuelMacron held tête-à-tête and delegation level talks in the Élysée Palace. Agenda covered a wide range of areas of bilateral cooperation including defence, space, civil nuclear, science & technology, trade & investment, energy, climate action, culture and people to people ties.”

“Discussions also held on India’s G20 presidency, issues related to Indo-Pacific and on regional and global issues. Ambitious outcome documents adopted, including Horizon 2047: Charting the future of India-France Strategic Partnership,” Bagchi added in his tweet. 

Modi-Macron attend CEO Forum

After giving a joint press conference on Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron and PM Modi attended the CEO forum, where leaders from various sectors of the economy came together to discuss ways to strengthen the ties between the two countries. In a brief statement at the forum, PM Modi thanked business leaders from various sections for their contribution in strengthening India-France ties. 

The PM also discussed the advancements India is making in a variety of fields, including pharma, IT, digital payments infrastructure, startups, and renewable energy. The PM asked the CEOs to invest in India and benefit from the country's success narrative.

The efforts of business leaders to strengthen links between the two countries were praised by French President Emmanuel Macron, who also highlighted their future potential.