On the sidelines of the 2025 G20 Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, French President Emmanuel Macron and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a significant bilateral meeting.

President Macron warmly expressed his gratitude, describing their partnership as one of strength and cooperation. He stated on X (formerly Twitter), "Thank you, my friend, dear Narendra Modi. Nations are stronger when they move forward together. Long live the friendship between our countries!"​

Prime Minister Modi reciprocated by calling the engagement a "delightful exchange" and emphasised that India-France ties remain "a force for global good." He tweeted, "Delighted to meet President Macron during the Johannesburg G20 Summit. We had an engaging exchange on different issues."​

The interaction underscored the deepening strategic partnership between the two nations, reaffirming mutual commitments across defence, space, science, technology, and economic sectors. This relationship has been evolving steadily over the last decades, with both leaders building on the foundation of the India-France Strategic Partnership established 25 years ago.​

During the broader G20 proceedings, PM Modi highlighted the urgent need for enhanced international cooperation on disaster preparedness and response. He pointed to the rising frequency and intensity of natural disasters globally, calling them a major challenge for humanity.

Modi praised India's establishment of the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group initiated during its 2023 G20 presidency and lauded South Africa’s priority focus on this agenda during their current G20 leadership.​

He urged a shift in approach from solely response-centric disaster management to a more proactive, development-centred resilience-building framework.

India also proposed the G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership to increase accessibility to satellite data from G20 space agencies, especially benefiting the Global South and serving the broader goal of leveraging space technology for humanity’s welfare.​

The summit also reflected sustained collaboration between Modi and Macron on international peace and security issues. Previous discussions between the leaders have included efforts to peacefully resolve conflicts in regions such as Ukraine and West Asia, further accentuating their strategic synergy on regional and global matters.​

This meeting at the Johannesburg G20 Summit highlights the enduring and dynamic nature of India-France relations, framed by shared values and ambitions to shape global governance positively.

The leaders’ public affirmations reinforce the narrative of bilateral unity backed by practical cooperation across multiple domains, underscoring their joint vision for a stronger global partnership.​

Based On ANI Report