Prime Highlights
- Modi and Macron elevated India-France ties, covering defence, AI, and nuclear energy.
- Modi-Trump meeting anticipated at Evian G7 with Iran deal on agenda.
Key Facts
- Bharat Innovates 2026 connects Indian startups with global capital in Nice.
- US-Iran deal reopened Strait of Hormuz, easing oil prices globally.
Background
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron used Modi’s visit to France to advance cooperation in defence, technology, innovation, and economic security, as global attention shifted toward the G7 summit in Evian.
Modi arrived in Nice as part of a wider European visit covering France and Slovakia. The French leg includes Nice, Evian, and Paris, with India invited to attend the G7 outreach sessions hosted by France.
In Nice, the two leaders jointly inaugurated Bharat Innovates 2026 at the Palais des Expositions. The three-day event aims to connect Indian deep-tech startups, researchers, and innovators with global capital and innovation networks, held during the India-France Year of Innovation.
Modi also held bilateral talks with Macron at Villa Kerylos in the third week of June. The Prime Minister’s Office described this as the first meeting between the two leaders since India-France ties were elevated to a Special Global Strategic Partnership earlier this year. Discussions covered defence, civil nuclear energy, space, artificial intelligence, emerging technologies, and economic security.
The diplomatic backdrop has shifted following a preliminary US-Iran agreement to halt hostilities and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Still, there are a couple of lingering concerns about the nuclear program in Iran and the sanctions against Iran, and how sustainable the ceasefire is. Nevertheless, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed the development and hoped that peace and stability would be restored in the Middle East, which is strategically important to India in terms of its energy security, international connectivity, and the welfare of millions of Indians working in the Gulf countries.
In the upcoming G7 summit in Evian, the agenda will include the agreement between the US and Iran, the situation in Ukraine, critical minerals and resilience in the supply chain. India is one of the non-G7 nations that will participate in this summit. Another bilateral meeting is scheduled between PM Modi and US President Donald Trump in the concluding days of the week.
