Jaipur: French President Macron To Explore Pink City’s Living Past

French President Emmanuel Macron will kick-start his two-day trip to India on Thursday by visiting Jaipur hilltop fort of Amber, iconic Hawa Mahal and astronomical observation site of Jantar Mantar. Macron will be the chief guest at the 75th Republic Day celebrations on January 26 at Delhi’s Kartavya Path that would make him the sixth leader from France to grace the prestigious annual extravaganza.

Macron to join PM Modi in road show

In his nearly six-hour stay in Jaipur, Macron will also join Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a road show before the two leaders hold wide-ranging talks at luxury hotel Taj Rambagh Palace on all key aspects of bilateral India-France ties and various geopolitical upheavals.

The PMO said in a statement that Modi will welcome Macron at around 5.30 pm, and the two leaders will visit various places of cultural and historical significance in the city, including Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal and Albert Hall Museum.

The French president’s aircraft is scheduled to land at Jaipur airport at 2.30 pm on Thursday and he will depart for Delhi at around 8.50 pm, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. The road show is scheduled to start at Jantar Mantar area at 6 pm.

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Modi – Macron to talk over range of topics

Modi and Macron are set to begin their talks at 7.15 pm. Ways to boost bilateral cooperation in a range of areas, including digital domain, defence, trade, clean energy, youth exchanges, easing of visa norms for Indian students are set to be the focus of the talks, sources said.

It is expected that India’s proposed procurement of 26 Rafale-M (marine version) fighter jets and three Scorpene submarines would also figure in the talks. The negotiations for the procurement of the Rafale-M jets and three Scorpene submarines are moving forward “positively”, the sources said.

It is not immediately clear whether there will be an announcement on sealing of the two multi-billion dollar deals. Modi and Macron are also expected to deliberate on expanding maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, the situation in the Red Sea, Hamas-Israel conflict and the war in Ukraine.