New Delhi: National Security Adviser Ajit Doval and the Diplomatic Advisor to French President Emmanuel Bonne emphasised on the continuation of strategic dialogue between India and France during their talks on Thursday.

However, the main agenda of the meeting remained the preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s upcoming visit to France.

The forthcoming visit of PM Modi is special as it will be the first Bastille Day visit with a foreign leader in Emmanuel Macron’s current term.

Sharing details regarding the meeting between Bonne and Doval, French Embassy in India in a tweet stated, “E. Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to Prez @EmmanuelMacron, held in-depth talks with NSA Ajit Doval to prepare for PM @NarendraModi’s visit to France next week. Defence, energy, space, new technologies & more: we’re working on an ambitious agenda for the India-France strategic partnership!”

At the invitation of France President Emmanuel Macron, PM Modi will be the Guest of Honour on France’s National Day on July 14. French President Emmanuel Macron has been invited by French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the Bastille Day Parade in Paris.

PM Modi’s visit will coincide with the 25th anniversary of the “strategic partnership” between France and India.

The main theme of today’s meeting between the two leaders was PM Modi’s upcoming visit to France for Bastille Day celebrations. The Indian marching contingent and Indian Rafale will take part in the Bastille Day parade and flypast.

Notably, France is a key partner of India in sectors of defence, space and nuclear technology.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Ambassador of France to India, Emmanuel Lenain, while speaking to ANI, said, “Well, it’s going to be a very important visit. India is the guest of honour on our Bastille Day…our National Day. Every year we have a guest of honour but this year, it is very special that’s the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between France and India and we wanted to have Indian troops in the parade and also Indian Rafales in the sky.”

He said, “There will be a lot. Each time, there are important meetings at that level. There will be some new momentum for cooperation. That being the 25th anniversary this year, we are going to draft a roadmap to open for new cooperation in the future, especially in the field of technology, the fight against climate change, global issues, and people-to-people exchanges..there would be a lot of news.”