French President Emmanuel Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday for a three-day state visit to India, scheduled to continue until February 19. The French leader is set to hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with defence, artificial intelligence, trade and strategic cooperation expected to dominate discussions.
Macron’s aircraft landed in Mumbai to a formal welcome by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Governor Acharya Devvrat, and Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Pawar. Welcoming the visiting dignitary, Fadnavis posted on X, extending warm greetings to the French President and his delegation and wishing them a successful stay in Maharashtra.
Ahead of his departure from France, Macron signalled the importance of the visit, describing it as an effort to further strengthen the India-France strategic partnership. He noted that he was travelling with a delegation comprising business leaders and representatives from economic, industrial, cultural and digital sectors to deepen bilateral engagement.
On Tuesday afternoon, Prime Minister Modi and President Macron are scheduled to hold bilateral talks at Lok Bhavan. The meeting will review progress across key sectors under the Horizon 2047 roadmap, including defence, space cooperation, civil nuclear energy, climate action, education and emerging technologies. Nearly a dozen agreements are expected to be signed, covering areas such as defence production, trade expansion, skilling initiatives, healthcare and resilient supply chains.
A significant highlight of the visit will be the joint inauguration of the India-France Year of Innovation 2026. The initiative was first announced during earlier interactions between the two leaders, including their meetings in Paris in 2025, as well as Macron’s participation in the 2023 G20 Summit and the 2024 Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. The programme aims to boost collaboration in research, start-ups, technology and cultural exchanges.
In the evening, the two leaders will attend the India-France Year of Innovation and Cultural Commemoration event at the Gateway of India. They are also expected to interact with leading business executives, start-up founders, researchers and innovators from both countries, underscoring the growing people-to-people and industry ties.
Defence cooperation remains a key pillar of the partnership. Discussions are expected to touch upon India’s plan to procure 114 Rafale fighter jets from France under a government-to-government framework. The visit also coincides with the 6th Annual Defence Dialogue in Bengaluru, where both sides are likely to renew their defence cooperation agreement for another decade under the Defence Industrial Roadmap agreed in 2024. Cooperation in air and maritime domains will also be reviewed.
Regional and global security issues will feature prominently in the talks. The leaders are expected to exchange views on developments in the Indo-Pacific region, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and the situation in Gaza, while exploring closer coordination on global strategic challenges.
Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies are set to receive particular attention. After concluding his Mumbai engagements, Macron will travel to New Delhi to participate in the India AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam from February 16 to 20. The event marks the first global AI summit hosted in the Global South and is structured around three pillars: People, Planet and Progress. It follows the AI Action Summit co-chaired by Modi and Macron in Paris in February 2025.
Both sides are also expected to review progress under the India-France Roadmap on AI, launched during PM Modi’s visit to France, with a focus on responsible innovation, digital public infrastructure and collaborative research.
The visit underscores the expanding scope of the India-France strategic partnership, spanning defence modernisation, advanced technologies, economic ties and global governance, as both nations seek to chart a forward-looking agenda for the coming decade.
