India – Conversation between President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi – Press Release (Elysée Palace, 26 May 2021)

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The President of the French Republic spoke with the Indian Prime Minister, Mr Narendra Modi, by telephone on Wednesday, 26 May 2021.

In the context of a particularly deadly wave of the pandemic in India, the Head of State reiterated the support and solidarity of the French people. To respond to this emergency, exceptional in its scale, an unprecedented solidarity operation, which was launched on 1 May with the delivery of eight high-capacity oxygen generators and medical equipment, is continuing with the supply of oxygen containers.

This “air and sea bridge”, implemented with the support of French businesses, will include further deliveries of oxygen generators in the coming weeks, thereby enhancing Indian hospital capacities in the long-term.

The President of the Republic reiterated the importance of ACT-A, and the COVAX facility, to strengthen the multilateral approach in vaccine production, sales and donations.

The French Head of State and Indian Prime Minister agreed to deepen the French-Indian strategic partnership in the fields of defence, civil nuclear energy, the environment and maritime issues, in particular in the Indo-Pacific region.

The President of the Republic commended India’s decision to join the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, a decisive initiative ahead of the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Marseille and the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Kunming. On climate, the Head of State and the Indian Prime Minister reiterated their support for the International Solar Alliance.

The President of the Republic emphasized the importance of gender equality, in particular ahead of preparations for the Generation Equality Forum.