French President Emmanuel Macron delivered a special farewell message in Hindi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, breaking from traditional diplomatic protocol to address Modi as 'Priya mitr' (Dear friend). As per The Times of India, Macron recorded a personalised video message for Modi at the conclusion of the Prime Minister's visit to France, saying 'Mujhe bahut khushi hai, daure ke liye swagat karte, France Bharat ki dosti amar rahe' (I am very happy, welcome for the visit, may the friendship between France and India remain eternal). This gesture underscores the growing warmth between the two leaders and the strengthening partnership between France and India, marking a significant moment in bilateral diplomatic relations.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron discussed the expansion of India's UPI services in France during their bilateral meeting on Sunday. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the discussions covered innovation, trade, investment, sustainability, security, culture and people-to-people ties. The meeting resulted in expansion of UPI at Paris airport and Nice, strengthening India's digital public infrastructure footprint in Europe and improving payment experience for Indian tourists, students, diaspora, business travellers and official delegations. UPI is already available in several localities in France, including at the Eiffel Tower where it was launched in 2024, with plans for implementation at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and Nice Airport in the coming week. Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal recently launched UPI at the iconic Galeries Lafayette, Nice Massena, marking another significant step in UPI's global expansion and demonstrating India's capacity to provide reliable, seamless, and interoperable digital solutions at scale. As per The Hindu BusinessLine, Goyal stated that 'Delighted to launch UPI at the iconic Galeries Lafayette, Nice Massena, France. Bringing India's world-class digital payments platform to one of France's premier retail destinations marks another significant step in UPI's global expansion. With the participation of Lyra Collect and NIPL, this initiative showcases India's ability to deliver trusted, seamless, and interoperable digital solutions at scale.'
The leaders signed 19 agreements covering multiple sectors including AI, innovation, trade, infrastructure, mobility and health. As per the Ministry of External Affairs, the meeting resulted in several outcomes in areas of innovation & AI, science & space, startups & fintech, trade & infrastructure, mobility and health. PM Modi has invited French universities to open campuses in India under the New Education Policy, while both nations agreed to enhance cooperation among museums and cultural institutions, including the National Maritime Heritage Complex in Lothal. The India-France Innovation Roadmap 2030 was adopted to deepen cooperation in critical and emerging tech, AI and startup ecosystems, promoting academic mobility and industry-academia linkages. The General Security Agreement on the Exchange and Protection of Classified Information allows secure information exchange between India and France, enhancing cooperation in strategic areas.
The partnership includes establishment of a Joint India-France AI Working Group focused on AI governance, supporting joint R&D, capacity building, academic and industry exchanges, and promoting startup linkages and innovation. India and France agreed to establish a Centre of Digital Sciences between Department of Science and Technology and Institut National de Recherche en Sciences et Technologies du Numérique to strengthen India's research and innovation ecosystem. India and France issued a 'Declaration of Intent on Cooperation on Railway and High-speed Railway Development in India' to support India's railway modernisation and high-speed rail ambitions. The Letter of Intent between ISRO and CNES concerning cooperation in microgravity research and human space exploration will strengthen cooperation for India's Gaganyaan human spaceflight program and planned future Bharatiya Antariksh Station.
PM Modi expressed gratitude towards 'friend' Macron for taking part in 'Bharat Innovates' and shared that India and France will keep working closely when it comes to tech and innovation. The 'Bharat Innovates' event brought together Indian deep-tech start-ups, innovators, researchers and investors with global innovation funds, demonstrating India's technological capabilities to the global community. Incubation of an additional 10 Indian startups at Station F provides Indian startups a structured landing platform in Europe with access to French mentors, investors, corporates and market networks. The platform serves as a platform for deep tech innovation beyond just UPI, enabling innovators, venture capitalists, and funders to collaborate across various sectors, extending beyond UPI to include several other innovations and applications in the fintech field. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri noted that Bharat Innovates is a forum for deep tech innovation, but also allows funders, venture capitalists and innovators from all fields to come together, with additional fintech breakthroughs and apps having the chance to make their public debut.
The bilateral discussions took place at Villa Kerylos in Nice on June 14, marking the first meeting between the two leaders since elevating India-France ties to the level of 'Special Global Strategic Partnership' earlier this year. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, traditional areas of bilateral trade including technology, engineering goods, and textiles remain priority sectors, while defence, nuclear, and space cooperation are being explored. The creation of a High-Level Annual Mechanism provides a platform to monitor and accelerate bilateral trade growth and addresses sectoral challenges, supporting supply-chain diversification and stronger industry linkages. India's Unified Payments Interface went live in Cambodia earlier this month, making it the eighth nation to accept UPI, demonstrating the growing global adoption of India's digital payment system. UPI is now accepted in nine countries - Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, France, Mauritius, Nepal, Bhutan, Qatar, Sri Lanka and Cambodia - enabling Indian travellers to make seamless payments abroad through familiar platforms. The launch at Galeries Lafayette, Nice Massena further strengthens the economic and technological ties between India and France, reflecting the growing depth and ambition of their strategic partnership.
