French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said that the French Ambassador to Niger and other French diplomats are "literally being held hostage at the French Embassy," reported CNN.
France's Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain, on Friday thanked New Delhi, terming the country's energy, optimism, and confidence in the friendship between the two nations as "invaluable." He said India and its people have taught him so much and he will cherish his experience of serving
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated their commitment to strengthen defence cooperation through partnership in the design and expansion of production in India and called for early finalisation of the Defence Industrial Roadmap.
Following the working lunch meeting with the French President, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that they would take India-France relations to newer heights of progress.
Macron is due to hold bilateral meetings over the two-day summit with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva among others.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday called the new economic corridor "historic" and said that these are state-of-the-art connections for the world of tomorrow, faster, shorter and cleaner.
Nicolas Normand, a former French ambassador to Mali and Senegal, confirmed the information to Al Jazeera, stating that, in accordance with his sources, negotiations to "partially" evacuate soldiers between the French and Niger forces were in progress.
French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to Delhi to participate in the G20 Summit taking place under India's presidency on September 9-10, and will then travel to Bangladesh for a bilateral visit, the President's office said in a statement.