Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived here on Thursday on a two-day visit during which he will hold wide-ranging talks with President Emmanuel Macron and join him for the French National Day celebrations as the Guest of Honour. Ahead of his departure, Modi expressed confidence that his visit will provide a new impetus to the bilateral strategic partnership. Expansion of bilateral defence ties is expected to be a key focus of Prime Minister Modi's talks with Macron."I look forward to meeting President Macron and holding wide-ranging discussions on taking forward this longstanding and time-tested partnership over the next 25 years," Modi said in his departure statement. "We also work together on regional and global issues," he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron's red-carpet welcome for the Hindu nationalist leader comes weeks after Modi was given the rare honour of a White House state dinner in Washington -- a city he was once banned from visiting. Despite differences over the war in Ukraine and tensions over human rights in India, New Delhi and Western democracies are keen on deepening ties because of mutual concerns about China."India is one of the pillars of our Indo-Pacific strategy," an aide to Macron told reporters this week on condition of anonymity. Macron has made Modi guest of honour for the July 14 military parade, which kicks off France's national day celebrations, with the participation of Indian troops and Indian-flown French-made fighter jets underlining close defence ties. India is one of the biggest buyers of French arms, with Modi announcing a landmark deal for 36 Rafale fighter jets during a trip to Paris in 2015 that was worth around 4.0 billion euros ($4.24 billion) at the time.