Emmanuel Macron Bids Farewell to PM Narendra Modi in Hindi, Says ‘France-Bharat Ki Dosti Amar Rahe’ (Watch Video)

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday, June 18, delivered a surprise farewell message in Hindi to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the conclusion of the Prime Minister's visit to France, highlighting the close diplomatic ties between the two countries. The gesture came after a series of engagements focused on innovation, strategic cooperation, and bilateral relations.

In a video message shared at the end of the visit, Macron addressed Prime Minister Modi in Hindi before switching to English, underscoring what both leaders described as a strong and growing partnership between India and France.  Testament to Determined Action: French President Macron Congratulates PM Modi on Becoming India's Longest-serving Elected PM.

Emmanuel Macron Bids Farewell to PM Modi in Hindi

Priye mitr @NarendraModi. pic.twitter.com/BXPVenkrXi

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) June 18, 2026

Emmanuel Macron's Hindi Message tp PM Modi Draws Attention

Speaking in Hindi, Macron said: "Priy mitra Narendra, mujhe bahut khushi hai, daure ke liye swagat karte, France Bharat ki dosti amar rahe." After delivering the message, he added with a smile: "I hope it was correct." (Dear friend Narendra, I am very happy, welcome for the visit, may the friendship between France and India live forever.)

Macron then continued in English, saying: "Thank you for your visit. Thank you for our friendship. It was a very fruitful visit. France loves you. We are looking forward to seeing you again soon, in February. Jai Hind." The farewell message quickly gained attention as another symbol of the personal rapport between the two leaders and the broader relationship between their countries.

Macron Congratulates Modi on Historic Milestone

Earlier during the inauguration of Bharat Innovates 2026, Macron formally congratulated Prime Minister Modi on becoming India's longest-serving continuously elected Prime Minister. The French President described the achievement as a reflection of both Modi's leadership and the resilience of Indian democracy. Bridging Talent and Capital: PM Modi, French President Macron Launch 'Bharat Innovates 2026' in Nice.

"It says a lot about your determined action, the strengths of your country, and it's wonderful," Macron remarked during the event. On June 10, 2026, Prime Minister Modi completed 4,399 days of continuous service as an elected Prime Minister, surpassing the previous record of 4,398 days held by India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, between 1952 and 1964.

The Union Cabinet subsequently passed a resolution recognising the milestone. The achievement reflects Modi's three consecutive national mandates and more than 12 years of leadership under the NDA government. During his address, Macron also expressed confidence in India's capacity to drive future global innovation, citing the country's demographic strength, research ecosystem and growing talent base.

"So why is it obvious for France to believe in that capacity to innovate in India? Well, I would say to put it bluntly, you have the demographic dividends. What does it mean? So a country with 1.4 billion inhabitants, a country that pays for know-how and research, knowledge, and training as many engineers as Europe and the US, comes in more than one million per year. So in every respect, a country with research innovations and frontier models is spearheading global innovation," Macron said.

He noted that India's large pool of engineers and investments in research position the country as a major force in emerging technologies and industrial development. Macron also pointed to India's achievements in space exploration as evidence of its technological capabilities. "If I only had to mention the one example of what you can do, airspace is the perfect example," Macron said. Referring to India's historic Chandrayaan-3 mission, he praised the accomplishment as a demonstration of innovation and efficient execution.

"With the Chandrayaan 3 mission in July 2023, which allowed the very first moon landing on the south pole of the moon that was led in record time by ISRO with record cost, is a demonstration in terms of strengths, innovation, but also in terms of implementations at the industrial level," he added. The visit reinforced the strategic partnership between India and France across sectors including technology, innovation, defence, space and economic cooperation. Macron's remarks throughout the visit reflected France's commitment to expanding collaboration with India and supporting its growing role in global innovation and development.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 18, 2026 11:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).