At a forum hosting French and Indian CEOs on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi encouraged French industries and investors to invest in India, highlighting that it is the “right” time to invest in India. PM Modi told investors gathered in Paris that India is the world’s fastest growing economy and has delivered stable polity and predictable policy and urged French industries to consider investing in India. “I welcome you all to join India’s development journey. When France’s finesse and India’s scale meet… When India’s pace and France’s precision join… When France’s technology and India’s talent unite… Then, not just the business landscape, but global transformation will happen,” he told the gathering of the business leaders. French President Emmanuel Macron also attended the event. President Macron and I reached Marseille a short while ago. This visit will witness important programmes aimed at further connecting India and France. The Indian consulate which is being inaugurated will deepen people-to-people linkages. I will also pay homage to the Indian… pic.twitter.com/RtgGPkJjNg — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 11, 2025 Modi said the India-France CEO Forum plays a key role in strengthening economic ties and fostering innovation. “This is the right time to come to India. Everyone’s progress is linked to India’s progress.” He landed in Marseille late Tuesday (local time) with Emmanuel Macron for the final leg of the three-day trip to France. Soon after landing, he paid tribute to freedom fighter Veer Savarkar and highlighted the city’s ties to India’s freedom struggle. PM Modi is scheduled to inaugurate India’s newest consulate in the port city. “President Macron and I reached Marseille a short while ago. This visit will witness important programmes aimed at further connecting India and France. The Indian consulate which is being inaugurated will deepen people-to-people linkages. I will also pay homage to the Indian soldiers martyred in the First and Second World Wars,” PM Modi said on landing in Marseille. In Marseille, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron will also visit the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, a key global initiative in nuclear fusion research. As a tribute to historical ties, PM Modi will also visit the Mazargues War Cemetery to honour the Indian soldiers who laid down their lives in the World Wars. AI Action Summit Earlier in the day, he addressed the AI Action Summit where highlighted the need for global collaboration in shaping AI governance. Speaking at the summit, which he co-chaired with President Emmanuel Macron, the Prime Minister highlighted how AI is reshaping governance, the economy, security and society. On concerns about AI-related job losses, the Prime Minister asserted that history has proven technology does not eliminate jobs but transforms them, creating new opportunities in the process. The PM also met Google CEO Sundar Pichai where the tech leader discussed with PM Modi how to “work closely together on India’s digital transformation”. Bilateral Meetings, Birthday Celebrations Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met US Vice President JD Vance and his Indian-origin wife Usha along with their two young sons on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit in Paris on Tuesday. Modi posted images of the meeting on X, showing him with the Vance family, including their sons Ewan and Vivek. came soon after Vance’s address at the summit, in which he welcomed Modi’s positive stance on AI as co-chair of the conference with France. “I appreciate PM Modi’s point. AI will facilitate and make people more productive. It is not going to replace human beings, it will never replace human beings,” Vance said. The Modi-Vance meeting followed another bilateral meeting at the summit in the French capital, with Estonian President Alar Karis.