EAM Sushma Swaraj welcomes Le Drian

External Affairs Minister (EAM) Sushma Swaraj on Friday welcomed French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian here.

The two leaders reiterated their strong commitment to further strengthen India-France strategic partnership.

Le Drian also called on Minister of State (IC) for Power and New and Renewable Energy Raj Kumar Singh.

The French minister arrived here on a two-day visit to strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.

Minister Le Drian will also call on for wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of the state visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to India.

Le Drian's day one visit will be to strengthen various aspects of France's bilateral cooperation with India, its foremost Asian strategic partner: security, economy, sustainable urban development and renewable energy, education and research, people-to-people ties and cultural affairs.

On the second day of his visit, he will officially launch the third edition of the Indo-French platform "Bonjour India" on Saturday.

Jean-Yves Le Drian will also unveil "The Experience": an immersive and interactive multimedia journey to the heart of the Indo-French relationship.

The Grand Opening of Bonjour India will take place at Amber Fort, Jaipur, on Saturday evening. The event will be attended by Minister Le Drian, Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, and will also feature a monumental video creation by French artist Xavier de Richemont, entitled "Barghal".

Bonjour India is a three-month Indo-French collaborative platform focused on innovation, creativity, and partnership, which will be presented in more than 300 events in 33 cities across India.