Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron visit the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) in Saint-Paul-les-Durance in southern France on February 12, 2025. Photo: DPR PMO via ANI

India and France on Wednesday (February 12, 2025) announced that they would continue to work closely to implement the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) project.

The project proposes to connect India to Europe through sea and land routes.

Also Read: PM Modi France visit Day 2 LIVE

A discussion on the project was held during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit to France, where he spoke at the Paris AI Action summit and held talks with President Emmanuel Macron.

“The two leaders recalled the launch of the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC) on the margins of the G20 Summit in Delhi in September 2023 and agreed to work together more closely on implementing the initiative,” said a joint statement issued after the visit.

IMEC, which involves the participation of Israel, had failed to make headway because of the Gaza conflict.

The French and the Indian leadership highlighted the importance of the project for the prosperity of India and Europe.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri informed the media that after the Paris AI summit, Mr. Modi reached Marseille on Tuesday (February 11, 2025) in the French presidential aircraft. During an interaction, Mr. Macron said, “Marseilles will be the entry point for the whole European market, and IMEC will channel a lot of energy to Marseille.”

To develop reactors jointly

The two sides also agreed to develop nuclear reactors jointly. The joint statement said that officials from both sides signed a letter of intent on production of small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs). Mr. Modi and Mr. Macron described nuclear energy as an “essential part of the energy mix”. The SMRs are factory-fabricated nuclear reactors that are smaller in size and capacity than the conventional nuclear reactors.

Mr. Modi and Mr. Macron jointly inaugurated the new Indian Consulate General in Marseille on Wednesday (February 12, 2025). Marseille will host the Mediterranean edition of the flagship discussion event of the Ministry of External Affairs – Raisina Dialogue – this year where stakeholders from multiple sectors are expected to participate.

After the inauguration of the Consulate General in Marseille, Mr. Modi recounted India’s ties with Marseille as Indian soldiers were based there during the World War I. “President Emmanuel Macron and I inaugurated the Indian Consulate in this vibrant city, marking a new chapter in India-France ties. This consulate will serve as an important bridge, strengthening our cultural, economic, and people-to-people connections,” said Mr. Modi in a message after the inauguration.

The joint statement recognised the “strategic location” of Marseille in the Mediterranean Sea, and the role that the port city will play in supporting “connectivity, sustainable growth trajectories and access to clean energy”.

AI summit in India

The Foreign Secretary said the bilateral discussions between the two sides were held during the Paris-Marseille flight, and covered areas such as space, civil nuclear cooperation, health and people-to-people relations. He announced that the AI Action Summit in Paris accepted India’s proposal and accordingly, the next big global summit on AI would be held in India.

India and France welcomed “concrete projects” and greater trilateral engagements with the United Arab Emirates and Australia covering areas such as “innovation, health, renewable energy, education, culture and the maritime domain”, according to the official statement.

During the Paris AI summit, Mr. Modi co-chaired a session with Mr. Macron, following which the two leaders jointly addressed the India-France CEOs Forum. Mr. Misri said both leaders exchanged views on the recent geopolitical developments in Europe, West Asia and the Indo-Pacific. During his Paris visit, Mr. Modi also met Estonian President Alar Karis and U.S. Vice-President J.D. Vance.

Mr. Modi and Mr. Macron visited the Mazargues War Cemetery, which holds the remains of Indian soldiers who died in the 20th century World Wars in Europe. The two leaders also visited the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor Facility) in Cadarache.

French President Emmanuel Macron, left, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend a departure ceremony at Marseille Provence airport in Marignane as part of a visit in Marseille, France, on February 12, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited southern France with a packed schedule on Wednesday (February 12, 2025), fostering a relationship that Paris sees as an alternative to great power rivalries.

Mr. Macron took Mr. Modi for dinner in the picturesque southern town of Cassis on Tuesday, before Wednesday’s visit to the Mediterranean coast and France’s second-biggest city, Marseille.

PM Modi France visit Day 2 updates: February 12, 2025

They began the day with a homage to Indian soldiers who died in France during World War I, at the Mazargues military cemetery south of Marseille.

They then inaugurated India’s new consulate general in Marseille, an event that drew a small crowd of cheering Indians.

Then it was time for business, with a visit to global sea freight company CMA CGM.

Both leaders have been discussing a project called India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC), a railway and maritime corridor between India and Europe via the Middle East destined to rival China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

“We see the relevance of IMEC projet,” Mr. Macron said during the visit. “Marseille can be clearly the entry point for the whole Européen market.”

At the end of a French-Indian business forum, Mr. Macron had already praised IMEC as a “fabulous catalyst” for “concrete projects and investment”.

Paris also hopes to sell billions of dollars worth of Rafale fighter jets to India’s navy, as well as submarines of the Scorpene class.

Mr. Macron is also aiming for increased cooperation with India in the nuclear energy sector, notably with the development of small modular reactors (SMRs).

‘Acting as a bridge’

Wednesday’s schedule included a visit to the experimental nuclear fusion facility ITER, an international project aimed at next-level energy generation.

Mr. Modi has visited France during high-profile events before, including for the traditional Bastille Day parade in 2023 and this week’s French-organised summit on artificial intelligence (AI).

Mr. Macron said at the weekend that the relationship with India’s premier is part of France’s strategy of seeking an alternative to the superpower rivalry between the United States and China.

“India and France are two great powers who are very closely aligned in our desire to work with the United States of America, and to work with China, but we don’t want to be dependent on anybody,” Mr. Macron said on French television. “We want to be independent.”

A former French government minister, who asked not to be identified, told AFP that Mr. Macron had “the right intuition” because “Modi, who is leading an emerging power, has found a balanced position between the Americans, the Chinese and the Russians”.

“The idea of acting as a bridge between the north and the south is a constant in France’s rhetoric,” observed Bertrand Badie, an international relations specialist at the Sciences-Po university.

“But this forces Macron to stay silent on the domestic policies” pursued by Modi, he said.

Modi is scheduled to fly to Washington later on Wednesday where he is to meet U.S. President Donald Trump.