French President Emmanuel Macron officially began his Indian tour and was given a customary ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. Macron is on a four-day visit and is accompanied by his wife Brigitte Marie Claude-Macron as well as other top delegates. He arrived late at night yesterday and was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Delhi airport.
PM Modi greeted Macron with a hug and shook hands with his wife Brigite. Modi later tweeted, "Welcome to India, President @EmmanuelMacron! Your visit will add great strength to the strategic partnership between India and France."
The French President visited the Rajghat today and paid a floral tribute at the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi before leaving for the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
Macron asserted, "Our aim is to begin a new era in ties between our two countries. For France, India is our priority and has always been. India has been France's first ally in the region. It is the entry point for France in the region, and my aim is to make France the entry point for India to Europe."
The French President is slated to meet the External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and is set to have a bilateral talk with PM Modi later, which will be followed by signing of various agreements.
Both, PM Modi and President Macron will co-chair the founding summit of the International Solar Alliance (ISA) which was initiated by PM Modi and President Macron during the Paris climate conference in 2015.
