New Delhi, February 15
French President Emmanuel Macron is set to visit India on February 17 to attend the AI Impact Summit, hold bilateral engagements with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and formally launch the India-France Year of Innovation, marking another significant step in strengthening the strategic partnership between the two countries.
According to the French Embassy in India, the visit comes a year after Prime Minister Modi travelled to France in 2025, where he co-chaired the AI Action Summit alongside President Macron. The reciprocal participation in each other's flagship AI summits reflects the deep trust and close policy coordination between New Delhi and Paris, particularly in emerging and critical technologies.
In an X post, the French Embassy in India said, "This visit comes a year after PM @NarendraModi's 2025 France visit, where he co-chaired the AI Action Summit. Reciprocal invitations to each other's AI Summits underline the deep trust in the France-India partnership."
Acccording to the French Embassy in India, the upcoming engagements aim to translate shared ambitions on artificial intelligence into concrete outcomes. Both leaders are expected to discuss measures to harness AI for the "common good", reflecting a shared emphasis on ethical governance, inclusive innovation and responsible deployment of advanced technologies.
A key highlight of the visit will be the launch of the India-France Year of Innovation, a cross-sectoral initiative designed to strengthen collaboration in scientific knowledge, research & innovation, and build on long-standing bilateral relations, the French Embassy in India said.
In a broader geopolitical context, President Macron's visit also reaffirms both countries' commitment to strategic autonomy and multilateralism, the French Embassy said.
French President Emmanuel Macron will arrive in Mumbai, Maharashtra, on February 16 during his upcoming visit, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 17, the External Affairs Ministry said.
Following their meeting, PM Modi and the French President will travel to New Delhi to attend the AI Impact Summit 2026.
According to the MEA, in Mumbai, the two leaders will exchange Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) followed by a press statement. The Hotel Taj Mahal Palace will host an India-France Innovation Forum, followed by the India-France Year of Innovation and Cultural Commemoration at the Gateway of India.
Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Madame Brigitte Macron will visit Mumbai and Delhi during their visit to India from February 16-19, the ministry said.
The Year of Innovation 2026 initiative will be celebrated throughout the year in both countries and aims to deepen collaboration in innovation, technology, research, and people-to-people exchanges.
This will mark French President Macron's fourth visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, signalling sustained momentum in the India-France strategic partnership, with a particular focus on Artificial Intelligence (AI) cooperation and emerging technologies.
Macron's upcoming visit comes against the backdrop of a steadily deepening partnership between India and France across defence, space, civil nuclear energy, climate action, education and people-to-people exchanges.
According to the French Embassy in India, President Macron's first visit to India in 2018 marked a new chapter in France-India relations.
Meanwhile, the upcoming India-AI Impact Summit, the first-ever global AI Summit to be hosted in the Global South, from February 16 to 20, will be anchored in three guiding "sutras" of People, Planet and Progress and structured around seven key "chakras," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
- ANI
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