India, France hold meetings ahead of Macron’s arrival

New Delhi, January 13

French President Emmanuel Macron’s Diplomatic Adviser Emmanuel Bonne met NSA Ajit Doval, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday. The meeting came days ahead of Macron’s visit to India.

Discuss mutual issues

Spoke about strong India-France convergence on multiple issues. Also shared perspectives on global developments of mutual concern. S Jaishankar, EAM

After US President Joe Biden expressed his inability to visit India, the French President agreed to be the chief guest for the January 26 Republic Day celebrations. Bonne met Doval today “to prepare for this important moment and the decisions the two leaders will make for the future of the France-India strategic partnership”, said a French embassy post on X.

“Spoke about strong India-France convergence on multiple issues. Also shared perspectives on global developments of mutual concern,” posted Jaishankar on X after the meeting.

Sitharaman also met Bonne and discussed approaches for further enhancing collaborative positions on climate actions, strengthening international financial institutions and addressing the debt vulnerability in low-and-middle-income countries.

“Recognising the synergy between Indian UPI and French Targeted Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS), they explored avenues for closer financial integration,” said a Finance Ministry post on X.

Sitharaman also encouraged greater participation from French financial institutions and corporations in groundbreaking initiatives and operations at IFSC in GIFT City, Ahmedabad.