What happened:
On January 9, 2026, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met French President Emmanuel Macron and conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s warm wishes. Earlier, he addressed France’s Ambassadors’ Conference in Paris, where he highlighted contemporary global shifts driven by trade, energy, technology and connectivity, and underscored the role of the India–France partnership in promoting multipolarity and strategic autonomy.
Why it matters to India:
The engagements reaffirm the depth of the India–France strategic partnership, strengthen coordination on global and regional issues, and support India’s vision of a multipolar world order. They also set the stage for deeper cooperation ahead of France’s proposed presidential visit to India and enhanced India–EU engagement.