‘See You in Mumbai’: PM Modi Welcomes French President Macron on Fourth India Visit

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron on his fourth visit to India, expressing confidence that the trip would further strengthen cooperation across sectors and take bilateral ties to new heights.

In a post on X, the Prime Minister said he looked forward to meeting the French leader in Mumbai and later in the national capital.

President Macron, accompanied by First Lady Brigitte Macron, arrived in Mumbai for his scheduled visit to India from February 16 to 19 and was received at the airport by Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Posters and hoardings welcoming the French President were put up across the city as he began his official engagements.

How Will the India-France Strategic Partnership Advance During Macron’s Visit to India?

The French President is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Modi later on Tuesday, with discussions expected to focus on strengthening cooperation in areas including defence, trade, technology, clean energy, and strategic partnerships.

Following engagements in Mumbai, the two leaders will travel to New Delhi to attend the India AI Impact Summit 2026.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also highlighted the significance of the visit in a post on X, stating, “Towards a stronger India-France strategic partnership! Warm welcome to President Emmanuel Macron of the French Republic. He was warmly received by the Governor of Maharashtra and Gujarat, Acharya Devvrat, at the Mumbai airport. During the visit, PM Narendra Modi will hold bilateral meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. Both leaders will launch Year of Innovation 2026. The visit will impart further momentum to the vibrant India-France strategic partnership.”

This visit, undertaken at the invitation of the Prime Minister, signals sustained momentum in the India-France strategic partnership, with a particular focus on Artificial Intelligence cooperation and emerging technologies.

According to the French Embassy, the engagement marks another significant chapter in the expanding ties between New Delhi and Paris, coming against the backdrop of steadily deepening collaboration across defence, space, civil nuclear energy, climate action, and education.

What key discussions will Narendra Modi and Emmanuel Macron hold in Mumbai under the Horizon 2047 Roadmap?

The trajectory of the partnership includes Macron’s first visit to India in 2018, his attendance at the 2023 G20 Summit, and his 2024 State Visit as the Chief Guest for the 75th Republic Day.

During that milestone visit, the two leaders declared 2026 as the India-France Year of Innovation, a forward-looking initiative they will jointly inaugurate in Mumbai during the current trip.

As part of the itinerary, Prime Minister Modi and President Macron will hold wide-ranging discussions on February 17 in Mumbai to further strengthen bilateral cooperation under the Horizon 2047 Roadmap.

The leaders will also exchange views on regional and global issues, including cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, reflecting a growing strategic convergence between the two nations.

Following their Mumbai engagements, the delegation will travel to Delhi for the India AI Impact Summit 2026, being held at Bharat Mandapam from February 16 to 20.

The summit marks the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South and is a five-day programme anchored in three foundational pillars, or “Sutras”: People, Planet, and Progress.

The French President’s participation underscores the importance both countries attach to emerging technologies and builds on Prime Minister Modi’s co-chairing of the AI Action Summit with Macron in Paris in February 2025.

(With inputs from ANI)