New Delhi, Apr 23 (PTI) France will partner with India for the ambitious new National Museum in Delhi, and a top French official and a team of experts have discussed the "next steps in this cooperation", the country's embassy here said on Tuesday.

The upcoming Yuge Yugeen Bharat National Museum -- billed to be the largest museum in the world -- will have eight thematic segments telling the story of India spanning over 5,000 years.

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The new museum, to be housed in the North Block and South Block in the heart of the country's capital, will cover an area of 1.17 lakh sqm with 950 rooms spread over a basement and three storeys, Indian officials had earlier said.

The French Embassy in India, in a post on X, said, "As announced by President @EmmanuelMacron and PM @NarendraModi, France will partner with India for the ambitious new National Museum in #NewDelhi. Yesterday, @lechevallierAS & a team of experts discussed the next steps in this cooperation & visited the upcoming museum site."

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Aurélien Lechevallier, Director General for Global Affairs and Cultural and Economic Diplomacy, and the team of experts visited the site of the planned new museum on Monday.

The French embassy also shared pictures of a meeting in which Lechevallier and other representatives from the France's side and Union Cultural Secretary Govind Mohan and other officials from the culture ministry from India's side were present.

"Following the letter of intent on museum and heritage cooperation signed on 28 January 2020, India and France will explore the possibilities and mechanism for France to be a 'knowledge partner' in the creation of a new National Museum in Delhi," the two countries had said in a joint statement in May 2022.

French President Emmanuel Macron had hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a brief working visit to Paris on May 4, 2022.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)