Bharat Innovates, France Salutes: Modi, Macron Open New Chapter on the Riviera

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Nice on Saturday for the first leg of his five-day visit to France and Slovakia, receiving a ceremonial welcome from France's Education Minister Edouard Geffray , Minister of Higher Education Philippe Baptiste , Ambassador Thierry Mathou and Nice Mayor Eric Ciotti . In a social media post after landing, Modi said the visit would also take him to Evian and Paris , with a series of bilateral and multilateral engagements aimed at "improving India's friendships with key developmental partners." Members of the Indian diaspora, estimated at around 119,000 in mainland France and over 350,000 across French overseas territories, gathered outside his hotel chanting " Bharat Mata Ki Jai " and were treated to performances of Kathak, Odissi and Bharatanatyam .

On Sunday, Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron jointly inaugurated Bharat Innovates 2026 at the Palais des Expositions, the first edition of the flagship Indian innovation showcase held outside the country, bringing together over 120 Indian startups , around 15 higher education institutions and more than 500 investors . Modi said innovation was "in India's DNA" and declared that Bharat innovates "with speed and scale, for a sustainable future, for the whole world," citing the International Solar Alliance , AI cooperation, and efforts toward Indo-Pacific stability.

Macron, in his address, called India "a deep reality" and praised its demographic dividend, 1.4 billion people and over a million engineers a year, as an advantage now rivalling the US and Europe. "The question is no longer whether India innovates. The question is who will innovate with India," he said, citing Chandrayaan-3 as proof of India's scientific capability. He added that "India is a country of innovation... India and France have a true partnership in critical sectors like AI and climate change," noting that France had "been part of" the Make-in-India initiative "in diverse sectors" and saw scope to expand civil nuclear cooperation, including Small Modular Reactors .

In a striking moment, Macron congratulated Modi on becoming India's longest-serving continuously elected Prime Minister , after Modi completed 4,399 days in office on June 10, surpassing Jawaharlal Nehru's previous record of 4,398 days. "This long run says a lot about your determination, the strength of your country... it's wonderful," Macron said.

The two leaders later shared a warm hug at Villa Kerylos , a Greek Revival-style villa on the French Riviera, in a moment officials said reflected their personal rapport. Their talks were expected to yield close to a dozen outcomes across defence, civil nuclear energy, critical technologies, mobility and research, building on a relationship in which France is now India's third-largest EU trading partner, with bilateral trade crossing $15.82 billion in 2025-26. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the visit would help strengthen India-France cooperation across key sectors, while the Tricolour was hoisted atop Nice's City Hall in a rare gesture for a visiting leader.

In his departure statement, Modi said India's presence at the G7 reflected "the trust its partners place in the country and its rising global profile." From Nice, he travels to Slovakia on June 14-15, the first visit by an Indian premier since 1993, for talks with President Peter Pellegrini and Prime Minister Robert Fico in Bratislava, before returning to France for the G7 Summit in Evian on June 16-17, where artificial intelligence features alongside international cooperation and economic growth on the agenda. The tour concludes with VivaTech in Paris on June 18, where India will have the largest national pavilion.