French President Emmanuel Macron's Statement At The Rashtrapati Bhavan After Receiving A Ceremonial Welcome

After receiving a ceremonial welcome at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, French President Emmanuel Macron gave a brief statement about India-France relations and how he plans to take the relationship between the two countries forward along with Prime Minister Modi.

Here's what the French President said:

• India and France share a very special relationship, and my visit to India is aimed at taking this forward along with Prime Minister Modi.
• 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.
• My visit to India has three main objectives. One is to begin a new era in India-France ties and boost our partnership and strategic ties to a new level. France plans to work with India in various sectors to take economic ties to an all-time high. India and France will also increase our cooperation and boost defence ties. Lastly, we aim to counter the rise of global terrorism. The second aim is to battle climate change and take forward to wonderful initiative of the International Solar Alliance, taken by President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This shows our commitment to the Paris Climate deal and promote renewable sources of energy. We support India and will invest in India's clean energy sector. We will also help India with the latest technology. The third aim is to boost people-to-people ties. We want France to be an entry point for India to the rest of Europe, just like France considers India as an entry point to Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
• Prime Minister Modi and I will hold bilateral talks and a number of agreements will be signed between the two countries today. My wife and I are also looking forward to a visit to the Taj Mahal tomorrow and a trip to Banaras (Varanasi) the day after. I am also looking forward to inaugurate the largest solar power plant in Uttar Pradesh. The inauguration of the International Solar Alliance is also something that i am looking forward to. This will help India and France take a global leadership role and will be a defining moment for the 21st century.