Jaipur: French President Emmanuel Macron, who is on a two-day State visit to India, interacted with Indian students gathered to welcome him at the Amber Fort in Jaipur on Thursday.

On his visit to the Amber Fort, Macron was accompanied by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari. At the fort, Macron also posed for a photograph with Jaishankar and Diya Kumari.

The French President walked around the Royal Fort and took in its unique architecture, he was also given an overview of the history the fort carries.

Macron appreciated Rajasthani paintings and also interacted with artists at the Amber Palace Fort, which is one of the top tourist attractions of Jaipur. Situated atop a small hill the 16th-century fort located at a distance about 11 km from the main city has been built with pale yellow and pink sandstone, and with white marble.

Notably, in a major push to Indian students and alumni, France, had announced new initiatives to bolster academic excellence, cultural understanding, and long-lasting friendship between the two nations.

President Emmanuel Macron announced France's goal to welcome 30,000 students from India by 2030. This goal reflects France's view that enlarging its Indian student population will promote academic achievement, cross-cultural understanding, and enduring friendship between our two countries, an official release of French embassy stated in August.

The establishment of "International Classes" in France will enable Indian students to flourish in their studies and easily transition to the French educational system. These specialised programmes will offer thorough training in the French language and other academic areas. This choice demonstrates France's dedication to facilitating the lives of Indian students as much as feasible.

A five-year Schengen circulation visa for Indian alumni was also announced during PM Modi's visit to France in July.

Meanwhile, Macron, who kickstarted his India visit today, will be the chief guest at the 75th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi tomorrow. The French President is here in India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM Modi who arived in Jaipur from Bulandshar in Uttar Pradesh welcomed the French President Macron at Jantar Mantar, the famous solar observatory established by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh, in Jaipur. both the leaders undertook a guided tour of Jantar Mantar, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2010.

The structure includes a set of eighteen instruments and is the biggest stone observatory in the world. It consists of various instruments which include the Laghu Samrat Yantra which is a Sun Dial that can help to calibrate local time to an accuracy of 20 seconds.

Macron's state visit marks France's sixth participation, the highest of any other nation, as chief guest on India's Republic Day. Furthermore, it comes months after PM Modi's Paris trip on France's Bastille Day on July 14, 2023.

The French President arrived in Jaipur earlier today as part of his two-day state visit to India.

Upon his arrival at the Jaipur International Airport, he was received by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.

His visit caps the 25th-anniversary celebrations of the India-France Strategic Partnership.

A French armed forces contingent is participating in the Republic Day parade and flypast alongside Indian troops and aviators this year.

Macron is being accompanied by a ministerial delegation comprising Stephane Sejourne (Europe and Foreign Affairs), Sebastien Lecornu (Armed Forces), and Rachida Dati (Culture); a C-level business delegation of French majors, SMEs and mid-caps; and other eminent personalities, including ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet.