Inaugurating the Bharat Innovates 2026 event in Nice, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched India as a destination for innovation and development.
Both the Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron focused on themes of trust and cooperation in technology.
Mr. Macron also spoke at the event which he co-inaugurated with Mr. Modi.
India and France believe in “ true partnerships”, in multilateralism, and respect for cooperative AI, Mr. Macron said.
Following the inauguration of the two-day event, the Prime Minister and President led bilateral talks between their delegations.
Inaugurating the Bharat Innovates 2026 event in Nice, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pitched India as a destination for innovation and development. Both the Prime Minister and French President Emmanuel Macron focused on themes of trust and cooperation in technology.
PM’s Europe visit begins in Nice, with tech and bilateral ties in focus
“I earnestly invite every investor, every university, every research institution, and every entrepreneur …come to India… design in India. Develop in India. And create solutions for the world,” he said. Mr. Macron also spoke at the event which he co-inaugurated with Mr. Modi. Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar were also present as was the Mayor of Nice.
India was seen as a technology adopter a decade ago but was now emerging as a technology provider, the Prime Minister said as he batted for India’s innovation ecosystem, citing work in the defence and space sectors.
Referring to the recent legislative changes (via the SHANTI Act) permitting private sector participation in the nuclear power sector Mr. Modi said, “This is creating new possibilities in the fields of clean energy, advanced reactors, and frontier research.”
India and France had a relationship characterised by shared conviction, connection, innovation and inspiration as well as shared values and vision, Mr. Modi said.
Both the Prime Minister and Mr. Macron referred to trust in technology, with Mr. Modi saying the world was looking for trusted, inclusive and human-centric technologies.
“In recent days we have seen the temptation to close up the AI models and to make them a power tool and to stop any cooperation,” Mr. Macron said, presumably referring to the U.S. Government banning non-U.S. citizens from accessing AI company Anthropic’s state of the art models.
India and France believe in “ true partnerships”, in multilateralism, and respect for cooperative AI, Mr. Macron said.
Mr. Goyal had also alluded to trust as an issue in technology in his introductory remarks saying that right now, the upheaval in geopolitics was meeting the upheaval in technology.
Speaking at the Bharat Innovates programme in France. Innovation, technology and the aspirations of our youth are driving India's transformation and shaping the future.@BharatInnov2026
https://t.co/66fM69ixSl — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 14, 2026
“At such moments, the world seeks trusted and reliable partners, and that is what India brings to the table,” he added.
Citing India’s Chandrayaan-3 Lunar mission of 2023, Mr. Macron said it demonstrated not just innovation but also industrial application.
India is not a country full of contractors alone but a country of innovation and technological disruption, Mr. Macron said. The French President also addressed entrepreneurs and investors at the gathering, pitching France as the top destination for AI and tech. Mr. Macron claimed that France was the only country whose development of LLMs (Large Language Models, a type of AI) could compete with that of China and the U.S.
“‘Make in India’ is something we respect and we are a part of it,” Mr. Macron said.
According to French diplomatic sources, France was willing to align its defence cooperation with India, including the proposed sale of 114 Rafale fighter jets to New Delhi with the ‘Make in India’ programme, The Hindu had reported last week.
Following the inauguration of the two-day event, the Prime Minister and President led bilateral talks between their delegations.
