Nice, June 14 (IANS) Nice Mayor Eric Ciotti said on Sunday that Indians are always welcome in the French city, sharing moments of his brief interaction with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“This private meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi was also an opportunity to warmly thank him for choosing Nice,” Ciotti added.
“He (PM Modi) is at home here. Indians are always welcome in our city,” he said.
He noted that Nice is open to the world, open to talent, to investors, to entrepreneurs, and to all those who wish to build partnerships for the future.
“It is in this spirit of friendship and trust that we wish to strengthen our ties with India,” the Nice Mayor highlighted.
PM Modi arrived in Nice on Saturday for an official visit at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron.
Mayor Ciotti was present at the Nice airport to receive PM Modi along with other dignitaries.
PM Modi departed for Bratislava from Nice, concluding the first leg of the visit. He is going to pay a State visit to Slovakia from June 14-16 at the invitation of the Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
“After a fruitful visit to Nice, France, which resulted in several bilateral outcomes with strong focus on innovation and future tech, PM Narendra Modi has departed for Bratislava,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on social media platform X.
“Nice to have met you (Emmanuel Macron) in Nice. A productive first leg indeed. The India-France partnership will keep scaling new heights. See you in Evian and Paris…,” PM Modi wrote on X ahead of his departure from Nice.
Earlier on Sunday, PM Modi held talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, deepening cooperation in several key sectors.
“Today’s talks with my friend, President Macron, were exceptionally productive. Considering the longstanding friendship between our nations, we have decided to elevate our ties to a Special Global Strategic Partnership,” PM Modi wrote on X.
“Our talks covered ways to deepen cooperation in key sectors like defence, technology, space, security, counter terrorism, innovation and more,” he added.
–IANS
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