PM Modi arrives in Paris for final leg of two-nation visit: What’s on agenda? | World

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday (local time) arrives in Paris for the final leg of his two-nation visit to France and Slovakia. He arrived in the French capital from Evian-Les-Bains, where he participated in the G7 Summit.

Upon his arrival in Paris, the prime minister received a warm welcome by members of the Indian diaspora. 

“I arrived in Paris just a short while ago, where I was warmly welcomed by the Indian diaspora,” said PM Modi in a post on X (previously Twitter). “I am proud of their efforts to bring India and France closer together. The India-France partnership is essential to the progress of our planet.”

What’s the agenda?

In Paris, the prime minister will participate in the VivaTech Summit and hold bilateral engagements. The VivaTech Summit is Europe’s largest technology and startup event. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier stated that PM Modi’s participation at the Summit will reaffirm India’s commitment towards advancing its broader strategic partnership with the European Union (EU).

“Prime Minister’s participation in both Bharat Innovates and the Vivatech Summit will spotlight India as a global hub for innovation, digital transformation and entrepreneurship, and is expected to catalyse new partnerships between Indian, French and European technology ecosystems,” the MEA said in a release.

Other than this, he will also address the Indian diaspora in Paris. According to news agency PTI, mainland France has around 1.19 lakh members of Indian diaspora.

The G7 Summit and visit to Slovakia

Before his engagements in Paris, PM Modi participated in the G7 Summit, which he described as ‘productive’. Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had said PM Modi’s presence at G7 Summit reflects India’s standing as a leading voice of the Global South and a key partner in addressing global challenges.

He also visited Slovakia, and held talks with the Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and Prime Minister Robert Fico. The visit allowed New Delhi and Bratislava to explore new avenues of cooperation. Notably, this was the first time since 1993 that an Indian prime minister visited Slovakia.

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