Roving Periscope: PM Modi to build upon relations with the US, France
Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday departed from the national capital for a four-day official trip to France and the United States, where he will engage in talks with Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump, respectively, the media reported.
At the invitation of President Macron, PM Modi will be in France from February 10 to 12, to co-chair the Action Summit on the Artificial Intelligence, where global leaders and technology CEOs will discuss collaborative approaches to AI that foster innovation and serve the broader public good in a secure, inclusive, and trustworthy manner.
President Macron and PM Modi will also travel to the historic French city of Marseille to inaugurate the first Indian Consulate in France and visit the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, in which India is a member of the consortium of partner countries including France, to harness energy for the global good.
After his arrival in Paris on Monday evening, he will attend a dinner being hosted by President Macron at the Elysee Palace in honour of visiting heads of government and heads of State.
From France, he will proceed on a two-day visit (February 13-14) to the United States at the invitation of President Donald Trump.
He exuded optimism to build upon India’s bilateral relationships with the two key member nations of the West.
He said his upcoming trip to Washington would serve as an opportunity to build upon the progress achieved in bilateral cooperation during the US President’s first term (2017-21).
In a pre-departure statement, PM Modi underlined that his US visit would help shape an agenda to further strengthen India-US ties, particularly in technology, trade, defence, energy, and supply chain resilience.
This would be their first meeting since President Trump’s inauguration for a second term on January 20.
PM Modi said, “We will work together for the mutual benefit of the people of our two countries and shape a better future for the world.”
“I look forward to meeting my friend, President Trump. I have a very warm recollection of working together in his first term in building a Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership between India and the US.”
About his French visit, PM Modi stated, “The bilateral segment of my visit will provide an opportunity to review the progress on the 2047 Horizon Roadmap for India-France strategic partnership along with my friend President Macron.”
Besides, he said, “I will also pay tribute to the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during World War I and II at the Mazargues War Cemetery.”
