Paris: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a large gathering of the Indian community in Paris. Upon his arrival at the venue, the Prime Minister was given a warm and colorful welcome, “reflecting the deep affection of the diaspora for the motherland”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement on Friday.
The Indian community in France gathered in large numbers chanting slogans of “Modi, Modi” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”.
“During his address at Paris, Prime Minister Modi highlighted the significant contributions of the Indian community across diverse fields in France,” the MEA said in the statement.
Taking to his official account on social media platform X, PM Modi said: “Here are glimpses from the wonderful community programme at Salle Pleyel in Paris. It’s always special to interact with the Indian diaspora and highlight the collective strides of 140 crore Indians.”
Prime Minister Modi also acknowledged their key role in connecting Indian innovation and ideas with global markets and in furthering the India–France Special Global Strategic Partnership, the Ministry added.
Prime Minister Modi noted that people-to-people ties between India and France have expanded with greater number of Indian students, professionals and tourists making France their destination, the Ministry said.
“The Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the steps taken to ease mobility of people. Speaking about expanding footprint of UPI in France, he noted that this would give a boost to tourism flows between the two countries.”
“Prime Minister Modi spoke about the transformative changes happening in India, from inclusive growth and women-led development to progress in the fields of human-centric AI and frontier technologies. He highlighted that in the last 12 years, India has lifted 250 million out of poverty. He noted that the trade agreements concluded with UK and the EU will open up new opportunities for Indian workers, farmers, innovators and others,” the MEA statement said.
“Alluding to India’s participation in Bharat Innovates 2026 in Nice and VivaTech 2026 in Paris, PM Modi underlined that India was becoming a partner of choice in the field of technology for the global community.”
“Speaking of the success of ‘Bharat Innovates programme’, PM Modi noted that the platform is a model of innovation diplomacy,” the MEA said.
“Elaborating on his participation in the G7 Summit in Evian, PM Modi said that India firmly stands for creating trust based international partnerships, where the Global South is treated as an equal partner. The Prime Minister noted that India’s talent, skill and innovation were helping the world come up with solutions to challenges in the digital age. He invited the diaspora to contribute towards India’s progress and become a partner in its Viksit Bharat journey.”
“The interaction of PM Modi with the Indian diaspora reflected the deep people-to-people ties that exist between India and France, and reaffirmed India’s continued commitment to the welfare, well-being, and engagement of its diaspora across the world,” the MEA added.
(IANS)
