NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a five-day visit to France and Slovakia beginning June 13, with the trip expected to deepen India’s strategic partnership with France, boost technology and innovation cooperation, and expand engagement with Europe amid a rapidly evolving global geopolitical landscape. The France leg of the visit will begin in Nice at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. The two leaders are scheduled to hold comprehensive talks covering defence, civil nuclear energy, innovation, critical technologies and key regional and international developments, including the evolving situation in West Asia.
“This is a relationship that has been characterised by exceptional warmth, trust, regularity of contact, and a very strong personal rapport between the two leaders,” Additional Secretary (Europe West) Piyush Srivastava said during a special briefing on Thursday.
“This is the Prime Minister’s seventh official visit to France,” Srivastava said, adding that Modi and Macron will hold discussions covering “the full range of areas of our partnership” while also exchanging views on major international issues. A key highlight of the visit will be the joint inauguration of Bharat Innovates, an initiative aimed at showcasing India’s innovation ecosystem, startup landscape, digital public infrastructure, and advancements in sectors such as defence, space and clean energy.
“The Prime Minister’s presence with President Macron at this event is itself a significant symbol of the depth of the bilateral relationship in the domain of technology and innovation,” Srivastava said.
Modi will then travel to Paris, where he will continue bilateral engagements and address VivaTech 2026, Europe’s leading technology and startup conference. India is set to have the largest national pavilion at the event this year, which Modi and Macron will visit together. “The Prime Minister’s participation this year is expected to be particularly significant, reflecting both India’s standing as a global technology powerhouse and the depth of the India-France innovation partnership,” Srivastava said. The Prime Minister will also participate in the outreach sessions of the G7 Summit in France on June 16 and 17. According to MEA Secretary (West) Sibi George, discussions will focus on global growth, critical mineral supply chains, international development partnerships, online safety, organised crime and major geopolitical crises.
Following France, Modi will travel to Slovakia from June 14 to 16—the first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country since its independence in 1993. George said the visit would focus on expanding cooperation in transportation, renewable energy, emerging technologies and defence production, while also strengthening economic and investment ties between the two countries.
