PM’s Europe Visit Begins in Nice, with tech and bilateral ties in focus

Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Nice on Saturday (June 13, 2026) evening, the first stop on his six-day tour of France and Slovakia. The Prime Minister ‘s visit to the French Riviera revolves around a tech summit, ‘Bharat Innovates 2026’, on Sunday (June 14, 2026), which he will inaugurate with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The tech event, as per the government, is aimed at brining together deep-tech ventures and higher education institutes from India, among others, to explore cooperation in research and co-development, investment and technology transfer. Following the event, Mr. Modi and Mr. Macron will lead bilateral discussions between the two sides which are expected to cover a broad range of subjects including defence, tech, regional and global issues. It is expected that the U.S. and Israel conflict with Iran will be discussed between the sides, with U.S. President Donald Trump saying a settlement was due to be signed on Sunday.

India and France had formally elevated their partnership to a ‘Special Global Strategic Partnership’ in February this year and announced that 2026 was the India France Year of Innovation.

Mr. Modi will travel to Slovakia on Sunday evening and return to France for the G7 Summit in the alpine resort of Évian-les-Bains. India has been invited as an outreach partner, along with other countries. At Évian, there is a possibility of a bilateral meeting with Mr. Trump. Following the G7 Summit, Mr. Modi will arrive in Paris for another tech focused event, VivaTech on June 18. India is the AI Country Partner for the event which is held annually.

The PM’s arrival in France was foreshadowed by rising tensions between India and the United States after an attack by U.S. forces killed three Indian seafarers off the coast of Oman. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio had conveyed to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar that violations of the U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz “will not be tolerated”.

“In addition to Nice, this France visit includes programmes in Evian and Paris. There will be bilateral and multilateral meetings, which will be aimed at improving India’s friendship with key development partners,” Mr. Modi wrote on X, shortly after landing in France.