It is unwritten tradition for the French President-elect to travel to Germany on his first international trip to strengthen the Franco-German alliance and expand the European footprint. Soon after being elected President of France on May 15, 2012, Socialist President Francois Hollande flew to Berlin to meet then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel. When he flew down to meet Chancellor Merkel in 2017, his able successor Emmanuel Macron did the same five years later. However, plans have changed slightly this time, despite the fact that Germany, like the US and its ally the UK, remains a close partner of France.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet French President Emmanuel Macron for the first time on Wednesday at the Elysée Palace in Paris. The visit is expected to yield significant results with President Macron expected to make a substantial visit to India soon. The preparations of the visit have already begun in Paris with the agenda of talks being shared through the diplomatic channel. A joint statement of the bilateral meeting is likely to be released after PM Modi’s meeting with President Macron.
Other important topics for discussion will be the Ukraine crisis and the Indo-Pacific region with both countries seeking to strengthen their maritime links.
