New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit France twice in four days, and will begin a visit to Paris for a bilateral visit on August 22 where he will hold discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron on strategic ties in crucial sectors such as defence, civil nuclear energy, maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific and counter-terrorism.
PM Modi will then move on to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain and then return to Biarritz in France for the G-7 summit to which India has been invited by the host France.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said, “The Prime Minister will be on an Official Visit to France on 22-23 August 2019 and hold bilateral meetings with the President of the French Republic, Mr Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Mr. Edouard Philippe. The Prime Minister would address the Indian community in Paris and also inaugurate the Memorial for the Indian victims of the Air India crashes at Nid D’Aigle.”
The memorial will be dedicated to the memory of those who perished in two Air India aircraft crashes way back in 1950 and 1966.
The MEA added, “India and France are Strategic Partners since 1998 and share a comprehensive, dynamic and multi-faceted relationship. Our two countries have strong cooperation in the fields of defence, maritime security, space, cyber, counter-terrorism, and civil nuclear energy along with robust trade and investment relations.”
Progress on setting up the Jaitapur nuclear power plant will be part of the deliberations between the two countries during the visit.
After visiting the UAE and Bahrain subsequently, Mr Modi will return to France for the G-7 Summit. the MEA said,
“PM Modi will be visiting Biarritz, France at the invitation of President Macron for the 2019 G-7 Summit as ‘Biarritz Partner’ from 25-26 August 2019,” the MEA statement said.
