Speaking to the Indian community at La Seine Musicale in Paris on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that there are more Indian followers of French star Kylian Mbappe than there are in France.
“French football player Kylian Mbappe is superhit among the youth in India,” PM Modi said in reference to Mbappe’s rising popularity among Indian supporters. Mbappe is perhaps more well-known in India than France.
Narendra Modi received the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest honor, from French President Emmanuel Macron. On Thursday, Modi began a two-day visit to Paris with a red-carpet reception. He will participate in Friday’s ceremonies of French National Day with Macron as the Guest of Honor.
Earlier, Modi was treated to a special luncheon at the Elysee Palace by President Macron and First Lady Brigitte Macron.
In his speech to the Indian diaspora on Thursday night, Modi revealed a deal for the use of UPI in France, creating a sizable new market for the country’s invention in paperless instant payments.
Modi described India’s rapid development and claimed that while the world is transitioning to a new order, India’s strength and role are also changing quickly in his nearly hour-long speech to the adoring crowd at the La Seine Musicale, a performing arts venue on an island in the Seine.
Modi noted that France was celebrating its national day and that he was there as the guest of honor. He praised France’s support for India and the strength of the two nations’ ties as they celebrated the 25th anniversary of their strategic partnership.
Indian soldiers will march in the great annual military parade honoring France’s national day, while three Indian Rafale planes built in France will do a fly-by.
The two-day trip by Modi coincides with the 25th anniversary of the strategic alliance between Paris and New Delhi. Importantly, it comes before Macron’s visit to the Indo-Pacific area this month, where 1.5 million French citizens reside. The goal of discussions with Modi is to guarantee that the huge area is a place where security, particularly of the oceans, and other important issues, including climate, are safeguarded.