Modi france visit | Nuclear-reactors, missiles, engines: India and France deepen ties

Describing the decision to travel together on the Presidential aircraft “an exceptional gesture by President Macron, emblematic of deep personal trust between the two leaders, and remarkable confidence they have in each other”, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said India-France “ties literally touched new heights”.

The two leaders, Misri said, reviewed the bilateral cooperation in areas of defence, space and civil nuclear cooperation, health and people-to-people ties. AI was a “major area” of the discussion, he said.

According to the joint statement, Prime Minister Modi and President Macron stressed that nuclear energy is an essential part of the energy mix for strengthening energy security and transitioning towards a low-carbon economy. Both leaders acknowledged the India-France civil nuclear ties and efforts in cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, notably in relation with the Jaitapur nuclear power plant project.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron pose during the closing session of the Franco-Indian Economic Forum at the Quai d’Orsay on the sidelines of the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris. (AP)

“They welcomed the first meeting of the Special Task Force on Civil Nuclear Energy, and welcomed the ‘signing of a letter of intent on Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR)’ and the Implementing Agreement between India’s GCNEP, DAE and France’s INSTN, CEA for cooperation in training and education of nuclear professionals,” it stated.

SMRs are compact nuclear fission reactors that can be manufactured in factories and then installed elsewhere. They have a smaller capacity than conventional nuclear reactors, and are seen as the future of civilian nuclear cooperation.

Going ahead from the AI Action summit in Paris, Prime Minister Modi and President Macron also “launched an India-France Roadmap on Artificial Intelligence (AI), rooted in the philosophical convergence in their approaches focusing on the development of safe, open, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence.”

French President Emmanuel Macron walks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Grand Palais during the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit in Paris. (AP Photo)

Under the theme of “Partnership for Security and Sovereignty”, the two leaders recalled the “deep and longstanding defence cooperation”, and welcomed the continuation of the cooperation of air and maritime assets in line with the ambitious Defence Industrial Roadmap agreed in 2024.

The joint statement said that both leaders “commended progress in collaboration in construction of Scorpene submarines in India, including indigenisation, and in particular the work carried out with a view to the integration of DRDO-developed Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) into P75-Scorpene submarines and the analyses conducted regarding the possible integration of the Integrated Combat System (ICS) into the future P75-AS submarines.”

The leaders welcomed the commissioning of the sixth and final submarine of the P75 Scorpene-class project, INS Vaghsheer, on January 15.

“Both sides welcomed the ongoing discussions in missiles, helicopter engines and jet engines. They also welcomed the excellent cooperation between the relevant entities in the Safran Group and their Indian counterparts,” it said.

“Prime Minister Modi also invited the French Army to take a closer look at the Pinaka MBRL (multi-barrel rocket launcher), emphasising that an acquisition of this system by France would be another milestone in Indo-French defence ties. In addition, President Macron welcomed the decision to include India as an observer to the Eurodrone MALE (medium altitude long endurance) programme managed by OCCAR, which is another step forward in the growing strength of our partnership in defence equipment programmes,” the joint statement said.

On cooperation in third countries, it said that they hailed the launch of the “India-France Indo-Pacific Triangular Development Cooperation, aiming to support climate- and SDG-focused projects from third countries in the Indo-Pacific region”.

The two leaders, it said, welcomed the partnership between Proparco and the Indian microfinance institutions concerned for an equity agreement of 13 million euros in the areas of financial inclusion and women empowerment.

It said both countries welcomed the inclusion of 10 Indian startups at the French Startup Incubator Station F. They also welcomed the expanded possibilities for using India’s real-time payment system, UPI, in France, according to a joint statement.

Both leaders announced the inauguration of the India-France Year of Innovation in New Delhi in March 2026 by launching its logo.

Modi and Macron also jointly inaugurated the Indian Consulate in Marseille.

Modi recalled how during the First World War, Marseille was an important base for Indian troops. This city, he said, had a close link with Veer Savarkar as well.

They also paid homage to soldiers who fought in the World Wars at the Mazargues War Cemetery.