Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Emmanuel Macron in Nice, France, where the two leaders jointly inaugurated the “India Innovates” program, which aims to connect startups from India, France, and other countries. President Macron also welcomed PM Modi. This program will bring together leading innovation startups and venture capital funds from India, France, and other countries.
Prime Minister Modi also stated that while different countries in the world trade with each other, there are also policy partnerships between different countries, but some relationships are driven by shared interests as well as shared passions. He described the relationship between India and France as one of strong trust, innovation, inspiration, shared values, and a shared vision. He emphasized the strength of this relationship, highlighting the strong trust, innovation, inspiration, shared values, and shared vision that have been the foundation of these initiatives over the years, and they have striven to find solutions to global challenges. He also expressed his happiness at the collaboration between the two countries and the launch of India Innovates. Prime Minister Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron held bilateral talks during which the two leaders discussed key issues. According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the talks focused on areas such as artificial intelligence, startups, trade, infrastructure, mobility, and health. The two leaders reviewed the progress of the India-France Special Global Strategic Partnership and agreed to further strengthen it, discussing innovation, investment, security, culture, and people-to-people ties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron sealed the deal. Following the meeting, payments using the UPI payment app will now be available in France. Countries like Thailand, Sri Lanka, Combodia, Mauritius, Qatar, UAE, Singapore and Nepal have already adopted this payment system. France is the first European country to adopt India’s digital payment system, allowing Indian tourists to make payments directly in rupees by scanning a QR code in France. Modi led India’s financial sector to reach global prominence. During his visit to Paris in July 2023, he announced the bilateral agreement. In January 2024, PM Modi hosted the French President in Jaipur, where the President demonstrated the system live by purchasing tea and local handicrafts using UPI. Recently, at the India Innovates 2026 conference in France, PM Modi and the President met, and an agreement was reached to expand UPI to more French transport hubs and cities. Using UPI, Indian tourists can purchase tickets in rupees directly by scanning a QR code at ticket counters online. This world-renowned luxury shopping mall in Paris will also accept merchant UPI payments for Indian tourists.
The Ministry of External Affairs also stated that the meeting yielded concrete results in several areas, particularly in the areas of AI, science, space, and startups. Before departing, Prime Minister Modi stated that the relationship holds a special place in the strategic vision of France and India, and during this visit, he will also participate in the G-7 summit and meet with several global leaders, including US President Trump. It is being told that Prime Minister Modi has left France for his visit to Slovakia and during this visit, India-Slovakia relations are expected to become stronger in the field of trade, investment, innovation and strategic cooperation.