The French Foreign Ministry on Tuesday, 16 June declared that the bilateral relationship between India and France is 'striving and growing,' as Prime Minister Narendra Modi participated in the G7 Summit in Evian, France and engaged in a full-day bilateral with President Emmanuel Macron in Nice. The visit, which began on Sunday, underscores the deepening strategic and economic partnership between the two nations.

Modi's Presence at G7 Signals Strategic Weight

Pascal Confavreux, Spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry, described PM Modi's participation in the summit as 'extremely important.' He noted that the visit began as early as Sunday, with a full day spent together between President Macron and PM Modi in Nice — a city, Confavreux observed, 'that the Indians know very well.'

At the G7 leaders' meeting, PM Modi is participating in discussions addressing global economic imbalances, according to Confavreux. The Indian Prime Minister is also scheduled to attend the VivaTech Summit in Paris, a major global technology gathering bringing together CEOs and innovators from across the world.

Bilateral Ties Span Innovation, Defence, and Culture

'This shows the strength of the bilateral relations and also all the future that you can imagine between these two nations, both in innovation, culture, economy, and also in military and defence,' Confavreux said. The breadth of Modi's engagements — from a geopolitical summit to a technology conclave — reflects the multi-dimensional nature of the India-France partnership, which has grown steadily since the two countries elevated ties to a Strategic Partnership in 1998.

Notably, France has been one of India's most consistent defence suppliers, with agreements spanning Rafale fighter jets, submarine technology, and space cooperation through ISRO-CNES linkages.

France Welcomes Iran-US Nuclear Deal, Eyes Strait of Hormuz

On the sidelines, Confavreux also commented on the recently announced Iran-US Memorandum of Understanding, welcoming it as a step France had been calling for 'for a couple of weeks.' He stressed the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz for global economies and addressing Iran's nuclear programme, ballistic missile programme, and its regional proxies.

'We stand ready to take all our responsibilities so that we can engage in these discussions. In the short term, we are also ready to deploy a multinational mission to help reestablish the trust, which is necessary to have the reestablishment of the fluidity of the traffic in the Strait of Hormuz,' Confavreux said.

France's readiness to deploy a multinational mission signals a broader European interest in stabilising the critical waterway through which a significant share of global oil trade passes.

What Comes Next

PM Modi's engagements in France — spanning the G7, a bilateral with Macron, and the VivaTech Summit — are expected to yield further announcements on defence procurement, technology partnerships, and trade. The visit is being closely watched as an indicator of India's growing diplomatic footprint in multilateral forums and its deepening ties with Western partners amid a shifting global order.