PM Modi's visit has built an edifice of India-France cooperation for next 25 yrs: Foreign Secy Kwatra

Paris [France], July 15 (ANI): Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra on Friday (local time) said that the 25 years of strategic partnership between India and France has a strength of very strong achievements, and that PM Narendra Modi's visit has built an edifice of cooperation for the two countries for the next 25 years. 
While addressing the special briefing on PM Modi's visit to France, Vinay Kwatra said, "As you all know, we are celebrating the 25th year anniversary of India-France strategic partnership. The 25 years of our strategic partnership have a strength of very strong achievements in the last 25 years. This visit has taken that as a base and has, I would say, even built an edifice of India-France cooperation to come in the next 25 years." 
Vinay Kwatra said that India has for the first time chalked out a Horizon 2047 framework of partnership with any country in the world for the first time. 
He also stressed that the document Horizon 2047 is a vision of the two leaders of PM Modi and French President Macron on where the ties between the two nations will be when India and France will be celebrating 50 years of strategic partnership. 
"So, it is again perhaps for the first time we can do a little bit of fact check subsequently. This is for the first time that India has chalked out a Horizon 2047 framework of partnership with any country in the world which India and France today included," he said. 
He further said, "I think the document should be out, if not out. It would be put out shortly for you to... yourself and what it contains in terms of not just aspirations that the two countries think that the relationship can touch but also has very specific substance to it which this relationship will be filled with." 
"If I was to give you a very quick run of that and mention so the document Horizon 2047 a vision of the two leaders of Prime Minister Modi and President Macron on where the relationship should be in 2047 when India would celebrate 100 years of its independence and we will be celebrating 50 years of our strategic partnership. It has on a very broad, rough count 63 specific outcomes that we are looking at now. These 63 outcomes are divided among multiple pillars," he added. 
Vinay Kwatra also talked about the rare honours that were accorded to PM Narendra Modi during his visit to France. He said French PM Elisabeth Borne received PM Modi at the airport and stressed that it was not a very common thing to see. 
He spoke about PM Modi being conferred with the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. 
"Here the second set of things which I would categorize would be some of the rare honours that were accorded to the Honorable Prime Minister during this visit. The Prime Minister of France received Prime Minister Modi at the airport, which is not a very common thing you would see. A rare honour, actually accorded yesterday Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the highest order of France, the highest Award of France given to honourable Prime Minister, chief guest at Bastille Day celebrations earlier today another honour," Vinay Kwatra said. 
"State dinner later on which will be in honour of Prime Minister. I was told that the Honorable Prime Minister is the first Indian after the independence of India to receive the honour...So set of great honours accorded to the Honorable Prime Minister to India during this ongoing visit of Prime Minister," he added. 
He said that the visuals clearly pointed out the warmth of the sentiment, friendship and genuineness.
He noted that the time PM Modi spends with French President Emmanuel Macron reflects a "sense of comfort with each other, genuine friendship and mutual trust" and demonstrates friendship between the two nations. 
"Third, I would put them in the category of and you all saw many of the visuals clearly pointed to that exceptional warmth, warmth of the sentiment, warmth of the friendship and genuineness also at the same time," Vinay Kwatra said. 
"The extent of time that President Macron is continuing to spend with the Prime Minister last 36 hours is actually really really exceptional, reflects a sense of, as I said, comfort with each other, genuine friendship, mutual trust, of course, which in a way is also reflective of the state of India France I would say friendship in across a range of areas also captures shared understanding I  think between the two countries and it's a great camaraderie between the President and Prime Minister. And as I said, you could easily sense that from the visuals that you would have seen," he added. 
Earlier, PM Modi met thought leaders and some prominent business people during the second day of his visit to France. He met prominent aerospace engineer and pilot Thomas Pesquet and Chanel CEO Leena Nair. He also met Charlotte Chopin, a yoga practitioner who will turn 100 soon. 
PM Modi attended the Bastille Day Parade on France’s National Day as the Guest of Honour at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron. The majestic parade, which had participation from contingents from Indian armed forces, took place under bright and sunny skies at Champs-Elysees in Paris. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between the two countries.
PM Modi was conferred with France's highest honour on Thursday, the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour. The award ceremony took place at the Elysee Palace where Macron hosted PM Modi for a private dinner. (ANI)