PM Modi to hold working lunch meeting with French President Macron today

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to hold a working lunch meeting with President Emmanuel Macron of France on Sunday. Macron arrived in New Delhi a day ago to attend the two-day-long G20 Summit hosted by India under its Presidency.

Macron is due to hold bilateral meetings over the two-day summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva among others. According to the French President’s office Macron leaves for Bangladesh on Sunday afternoon.

Modi and Macron had previously met this July during PM Modi's visit to France to attend the Bastille Day Parade. A statement from Macron’s office said, "The G20 Summit will enable France’s Head of State to continue his ongoing dialogue with his counterparts from every continent, so as to combat the risks of fragmentation of the world. It will also be an opportunity to make progress in implementing joint responses to the major global challenges that can only be tackled effectively through multilateral action: peace and stability, poverty alleviation, protection of climate and our planet, food security, and digital regulation."

It further said, "The Summit will also provide an opportunity to follow up on the Summit for a New Global Financial Pact held in Paris last June. This led to the establishment of the Paris Agenda for People and the Planet, providing a framework for collective action to ensure that no country has to choose between fighting poverty and protecting the planet."

Prior to his departure, Macron is likely to hold a press conference at the venue on Sunday afternoon, according to the Embassy of France in India. He will depart for Bangladesh for a bilateral visit on Sunday afternoon. T

o mark the 25th anniversary of the Indo-French partnership, both countries agreed to adopt a roadmap to set the course for the bilateral relationship up to 2047, which will celebrate the centenary of India’s independence, the centenary of the diplomatic ties between the two countries and 50 years of the strategic partnership.