NEW DELHI: French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday reaffirmed the close and growing partnership between India and France during a meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 G20 Summit in Johannesburg.After the discussion, President Macron posted on X, saying, “Thank you, my friend, dear Narendra Modi. Nations are stronger when they move forward together. Long live the friendship between our countries!”PM Modi also hailed the relationship, writing, “Delighted to meet President Macron during the Johannesburg G20 Summit. We had an engaging exchange on different issues. India-France ties remain a force for global good!”Earlier, during the second session of the G20 Leaders’ Summit, PM Modi highlighted the rising frequency of natural disasters and their growing impact on populations across the world. He stressed the need for stronger international cooperation and noted that India had created the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group during its 2023 G20 presidency. He also commended South Africa for prioritising the issue.“Natural disasters continue to pose a major challenge to humanity. This year as well, they have impacted a large portion of the global population. These events clearly highlight the need to strengthen international cooperation for effective disaster preparedness and response. To support this idea, India formed the Disaster Risk Reduction Working Group during its G20 Presidency. I also congratulate South Africa for giving priority to this important agenda,” he said.Calling for a shift from a “response-centric” to a “development-centric” approach to resilience building, PM Modi proposed a G20 Open Satellite Data Partnership to improve access to satellite data from G20 space agencies. He said the initiative would be particularly valuable for the Global South.
