French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday arrived at the Rashtrapati Bhawan and inspected a guard of honour, following which he visited Rajghat, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi and paid his tribute to the latter.
Macron arrived on Friday on a four-day India visit and was received at the airport by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a special gesture.
President Macron, who was accompanied by his wife Brigitte Macron, met with his counterpart Ram Nath Kovind, his wife Savita Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi respectively.
After inspecting a guard of honour and meeting with other officials, Macron said, "I am very happy and proud of this visit. I thank the President (Kovind) and Prime Minister (Modi) for this welcome. I think we have a very good chemistry and our two great democracies have a historic relationship."
The French President stated that the visit would open a new era of strategic partnership in the coming decades.
"Our two democracies have common channels like terrorism, lots of common risks and common threats. But we have to protect this history and the state for freedom," President Macron added.
President Macron said that both India and France were committed to addressing climatic change and termed it as a 'critical battle' not only for the two countries but for the other countries as well.The French President called for his country to be India's best partner in Europe.
"I want my country to be the best partner in Europe. This is a strong message. I want Indian citizens coming to France for studying, becoming entrepreneurs and opening start-ups," says French President.
Delving into the details during the visit, the French President said that Prime Minister Modi would host a dinner for the French delegation at the International Solar Conference (ISA) and the latter would chair the conference on Sunday.
The ISA, an alliance of more than 121 countries, was initiated by Prime Minister Modi in January 2016. The primary objective of the alliance is to work for efficient exploitation of solar energy to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
During the visit, the two countries would look to boost ties, especially in the areas of maritime security and counter-terrorism.
An agreement on the Jaitapur nuclear power plant, which is being built with French assistance, is expected to be signed during the visit, sources here said.
Stepping up cooperation in the Indian Ocean region will be one of the top issues that will be discussed by Macron and Prime Minister Modi during delegation-level talks tomorrow.
"France has particularly supported India's perspective on terror in South Asia. We are seeing convergence in new areas, particularly maritime security, counter-terrorism and renewable energy," K Nagraj Naidu, joint secretary (Europe-west), told reporters.
Besides defence, cooperation in the areas of nuclear energy and space are the other pillars of the strategic partnership between India and France.
PM @narendramodi welcomes President of France, @EmmanuelMacron at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/MkfpCQND9o— PIB India (@PIB_India) March 10, 2018
Delhi: French President #EmmanuelMacron meets EAM Sushma Swaraj pic.twitter.com/yNs1uR3ncL— ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2018
I think we have very good chemistry, our two great democracies have a historic relationship: French President #EmmanuelMacron pic.twitter.com/YWQNid1clm— ANI (@ANI) March 10, 2018
SOURCE BY
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment
Please do not enter any spam link in the comment box.