Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in France on the first leg of his three-nation tour on Thursday.  Upon arriving in France, PM Modi met French President Emmanuel Macron and held a bilateral meeting with him at the Château de Chantilly. PM Modi was received by the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian at the airport. Taking to Twitter, PM Narendra Modi wrote that with his arrival in France, he has marked the start of a key bilateral visit. He further stated that India and France have enjoyed extremely friendly ties have been working together for years both bilaterally and multilaterally. Sharing pictures of his arrival in France, PM Modi said that the visit will add to the ground covered during the previous interactions with the French leadership. 

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PM Modi meets French President Emmanuel Macron

MEA Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar also took to Twitter and shared pictures of PM Modi's meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, ahead of their bilateral meeting at the Château de Chantilly. In the pictures, PM Narendra Modi and Emmanuel Macron can be seen hugging and taking a stroll around one of the finest jewels of French cultural heritage. 

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During his two-day visit to France, PM Modi will also be meeting his French counterpart Edouard Philippe and interact with the Indian community. He will also dedicate a memorial to the Indian victims of the two Air India crashes in France in the 1950s and 1960s. In his departure statement, the PM Narendra Modi had said his visit to France reflects the strong strategic partnership which the two countries deeply value and share.

"India and France have excellent bilateral ties, which are reinforced by a shared vision to cooperate for further enhancing peace and prosperity for our two countries and the world at large," PM Modi said.

PM Modi's three-nation tour

After his France tour, PM Modi will be travelling to the United Arab Emirates on Friday where he would receive the 'Order of Zayed', the highest civilian decoration conferred by the UAE government. During his visit to UAE, he is scheduled to hold talks with Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. After UAE, PM Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Bahrain where he will hold talks with King Shaikh Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. In Bahrain, the Prime Minister will also witness the formal beginning of the re-development of the temple of Shreenathji - the oldest in the Gulf region before returning to France on Sunday to attend the G7 Summit meetings. 

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