French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a state visit to France and will participate in the upcoming ‘Artificial Intelligence Action Summit’ in February, according to a report by News18.
Addressing the French Ambassador Conference, Macron shared that France will host the AI Summit on February 11-12, with discussions involving major global players such as the United States, China, and India, alongside Gulf states. "This summit will enable us to have an international discussion on Artificial Intelligence," Macron said. He confirmed that PM Modi would attend the summit immediately after his state visit to France, adding that this marks the first official confirmation of Modi's participation. While the French government has issued an invitation, the Indian government has yet to officially announce the Prime Minister's visit, the News18 report added.
Previous High-Level Visits
The announcement follows PM Modi’s previous visit to France in July 2023 as the guest of honour at the Bastille Day parade. This was shortly followed by French President Macron’s visit to India as the chief guest for the Republic Day celebrations in January 2024. The two leaders last met on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil.
Defence Deals Between India and France
In addition to discussions on Artificial Intelligence, significant defence agreements between India and France are in the final stages of negotiation. The two major deals are valued at $10 billion and include the purchase of 26 Rafale-M fighter jets for the Indian Navy’s aircraft carriers, and three additional Scorpene-class submarines.
At a press conference in December, Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi stated that both deals are nearing completion. "It is just a matter of completing the formalities of the acquisition process, and we expect the Rafale-M deal and the Scorpene submarine deal to be signed soon," he said. The Defence Acquisition Council, chaired by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, has already given its approval for the procurement of the Rafale-M fighters and the submarines.
Cultural Collaboration: Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum
The Union Ministry of Culture also announced a partnership with France’s Museums Development (FMD) for the development of the Yuga Yugeen Bharat National Museum in Delhi. This project may be reviewed by PM Modi and President Macron during their upcoming discussions, marking another milestone in India-France bilateral relations.
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