In a remarkable departure from standard diplomatic protocol, French President Emmanuel Macron gave Prime Minister Narendra Modi a warm and unusual farewell in Hindi at the end of the Indian leader's visit, drawing attention with his effort to address PM Modi in the Indian language.
The unprecedented linguistic gesture unfolded in a special video message captured to mark the culmination of the high-profile tour, where Macron began by saying, "Priya mitra Narendra, mujhe bahut khushi hai, daure ke liye swagat karte, France Bharat ki dosti amar rahe." After delivering the Hindi lines, Macron smiled and remarked, "I hope it was correct." (Dear friend Narendra, I am very happy, welcome for the visit, may the friendship between France and India remain eternal).
Priye mitr @NarendraModi. pic.twitter.com/BXPVenkrXi
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 18, 2026
Seamlessly pivoting from his light-hearted multilingual attempt back to English, the French President also thanked PM Modi for his visit and described it as "very fruitful", while expressing hope of meeting him again in February.
Underscoring the deep personal camaraderie and geopolitical synergy defining the partnership, he then continued his message in English, saying, "Priye mitr Narendra Modi. Thank you for your visit. Thank you for our friendship. It was a very fruitful visit. France loves you. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon, in February. Jai Hind."
This high-octane diplomatic interaction occurred on the grand stage of the G7 Summit, where PM Modi participated in discussions over the last two days and held bilateral meetings with several world leaders, including US President Donald Trump.
The foundational matrix for this robust summitry was established on June 14, when PM Modi held bilateral talks with Macron at Villa Kerylos in Nice in their first meeting since the elevation of India-France ties to the level of 'Special Global Strategic Partnership' earlier this year.
Set against the scenic backdrop of the French coast, the two leaders held extensive discussions covering diverse aspects of bilateral relations. They expressed satisfaction at the excellent growth and depth of bilateral defence collaboration across all domains and agreed to further intensify it with a focus on co-design, co-development, and co-production of defence platforms and advanced technologies.
Looking beyond traditional security boundaries to concrete futuristic milestones, both leaders noted the rich legacy of cooperation in the space sector and discussed furthering collaboration in human spaceflight and space situational awareness. They also discussed ways to expand private-sector collaboration in space.
Infusing a strong element of modern economic drive into their strategic agenda earlier in the day, PM Modi and Macron interacted with startups and explored new-age and cutting-edge innovations across sectors at VivaTech 2026.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
................................ Advertisement ................................
Opinion: China Has Helped India's Cause With TrumpMihir Sharma, Bloomberg
Thursday June 29, 2017Very little was expected in India from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the U.S., and for good reason: Modi had gone out of his way to cultivate a personal relationship with Barack Obama, including famously pouring out a cup of tea for him and the cameras when Obama visited India.
Opinion: Modi's US Speech Was Letter Perfect, Ticked Off Every BoxAshok Malik
Friday June 10, 2016Without taking recourse to the old wailing sheet and cribbing to everyone about Islamabad, Modi has devised a mechanism to shape the debate to India's advantage.
Opinion: Modi Ignored Advice To Make Obama Squirm. It Has Paid Off.Jyoti Malhotra
Saturday June 04, 2016The visit to the US in the coming week, in fact, brings Obama's relationship with both Modi and India full circle.
Blogs: कादम्बिनी के कीबोर्ड से : क्या परमाणु करार पर पीछे हटे हम?
Sunday February 08, 2015असल में परमाणु रिएक्टरों में हादसे की सूरत में जो हर्जाना होगा, वह रिएक्टर चलाने वाले को यानि ऑपरेटर को देना होगा। कानून में यह प्रावधान है कि अगर ऑपरेटर चाहे तो वह सामान और ईंधन आपूर्ति करने वाले पर हर्जाने के लिए दावा कर सकता है। लेकिन यहां पर समझने वाली बात यह है कि ऑपरेटर कौन होगा।
Opinion: Mani-Talk: Modi is Turning Us into America's New PakistanMani Shankar Aiyar
Thursday February 12, 2015In "Cold War II", battlefield could be India, writes Mani Shankar Aiyar.
Opinion: Obama Had Pointed Message for Modi 2.0Shashi Tharoor
Wednesday January 28, 2015Clear warning that PM will fail if he reverts to Modi 1.0, writes Shashi Tharoor.
Opinion: What Pakistan Makes of Obama-Modi ChemistryMehr Tarar
Tuesday January 27, 2015Acceptance of Modi's goal-oriented leadership, writes Mehr Tarar.
