Following a bilateral meeting on Tuesday in Mumbai, French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi appeared before the press. Both partners stated that they did not want to "suffer any form of hegemony" or the "conflictivity of some," declared the French president, who celebrated a "remarkable acceleration" in the relationship between France and India.
First modification: 02/17/2026 - 13:56 Last modification: 02/17/2026 - 13:57
French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in India on Monday, February 16, for a three-day official visit aimed at strengthening an already strong partnership, with the prospect of a contract for the sale of 114 Rafale fighters.
The head of state, accompanied by his wife Brigitte, landed at midnight (18:30 GMT) in Bombay, the country's financial capital, on the shores of the Arabian Sea, an AFP journalist noted.
He will then travel to New Delhi on Wednesday and Thursday for a summit on artificial intelligence. "Three days from Mumbai to New Delhi to go even further in our strategic partnership," he wrote on his X account upon arrival.
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From the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to the victims of the 2008 attacks and expressed his solidarity with their families and with India. In a message published in
His visit, the fourth to India since 2017, takes place under good auspices after the Asian country confirmed its intention to place a record order for Rafale combat aircraft and the signing, at the end of January, of a broad free trade agreement between the European Union and India.
"114 Rafale, 30 billion euros, is the contract of the century! A form of apotheosis!" says Christophe Jaffrelot, India specialist at the Center for International Research (CERI) of Sciences Po in Paris.
Negotiations on the 114 Rafales, destined for the Indian Air Force and largely manufactured in India, have yet to be finalized with manufacturer Dassault. However, the Elysée declares itself "optimistic" regarding the conclusion of this "historic contract", which will be one of the central axes of the visit.
Macron and Modi will also inaugurate on Tuesday, by videoconference from Mumbai, an assembly line for Airbus H125 civil and military helicopters installed near Bengaluru, in the south of the country.
"The objective of this visit is to further strengthen cooperation" with New Delhi and "diversify" France's economic and commercial partnerships, notes the Elysée, at a time when India, the most populous country in the world with 1.4 billion inhabitants, is on its way to becoming the fourth largest economy in the world. It also seeks to respond to the growing uncertainties generated by the tariff war and Donald Trump's diplomatic offensives, as well as the rise of China.
The volume of bilateral exchanges, driven by defense and aeronautics – the Indian market is mainly equipped with Airbus – is around 15 billion euros. Added to this are nearly 13 billion euros in French foreign direct investment in India.
Four ministers accompany the president, among them those of Defense, Catherine Vautrin, and of Economy, Roland Lescure. A hundred French CEOs, including those of Dassault, Schneider Electric and Mistral AI, as well as leaders of SMEs and startups, are also participating in the visit.
"Announcements" and "contracts" are expected in the sectors of health, agriculture and artificial intelligence, an area in which Paris aspires to closer cooperation with India. French startup H will announce partnerships in the hospital sector.
Macron will also inaugurate the French-Indian Center for AI in Global Health in New Delhi, before opening the artificial intelligence summit with Narendra Modi on Thursday.
Both leaders will also cherish their personal relationship, strong since 2017. Macron invited Modi as a guest of honor to the July 14 military parade in 2023, and the Indian prime minister received him with honors during Republic Day six months later, as well as on his last visit to France in February 2025 for another AI summit.
However, one major sticking point remains: Ukraine. India has never condemned the Russian invasion of 2022. “But if the Indians stop buying Russian oil, under threat of US sanctions, they will not be reproached for abstaining from the UN,” the researcher points out.
With AFP
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