Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in France on Saturday where he is scheduled to hold talks with French President Emmanuel Macron and also attend the G-7 Summit.Earlier in the day while departing on a six-day visit to France and Slovakia, the PM said India would articulate the aspirations of the Global South at the G7 Summit.In his departure statement, Modi said France occupied a special place in India’s strategic vision, noting that bilateral ties had been elevated to a Special Global Strategic Partnership during Macron’s visit to India earlier this year.“At the G7, India will not only speak for itself, but also give voice to the aspirations of the Global South,” the PM said, describing India’s invitation to the grouping for the eighth consecutive summit as a reflection of the trust reposed in the country by its partners and its growing global profile.Modi said he would meet Macron in Nice to review the progress made since February and chart the next steps in bilateral cooperation, besides exchanging views on pressing global issues of mutual interest.Modi and Macron will also jointly inaugurate ‘Bharat Innovates’ on June 14, a flagship event being organised as part of the ‘India-France Year of Innovation’. The initiative is aimed at connecting Indian start-ups with global investors and boosting innovations emerging from India’s higher education ecosystem.From Nice, Modi will travel to Slovakia for a state visit on June 14 and 15. The visit will be a first by an Indian PM to the Central European nation since its independence in 1993.During his stay in Bratislava, Modi will hold talks with Slovak President Peter Pellegrini and PM Robert Fico, besides interacting with business leaders. He said the visit would build on the momentum generated by the India-European Union Free Trade Agreement and strengthen India’s strategic partnership with the EU, of which Slovakia is an important member.Modi will then travel to Evian in France to attend the G7 Summit on June 16 and 17. The PM said India’s continued participation in the forum underlined its expanding role in global affairs.The Prime Minister will conclude his visit in Paris on June 18, where he will attend VivaTech-2026, which is regarded as Europe’s premier technology and innovation gathering, alongside Macron. India will have the largest national pavilion at the event. Modi said he also looked forward to interacting with members of the Indian community in Paris, whom he described as a “living bridge” between the two countries.Modi, Trump to hold bilateral meet on G7 sidelinesPrime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump will hold a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France next week, marking their first face-to-face interaction in more than a year and offering an opportunity for the two leaders to take stock of a relationship that has witnessed both cooperation and strains in recent months.The meeting comes against the backdrop of rising tensions in the Middle East and growing concerns over attacks on commercial shipping in the region. The issue has acquired added significance for India following the death of three Indian nationals in a recent US Navy strike on a merchant vessel, underlining the risks posed to global trade routes and the large Indian diaspora living in the west Asian region.A senior US administration official confirmed that the two leaders are scheduled to meet during the summit in Evian-les-Bains on June 16-17.The Modi-Trump meeting also assumes significance as India-US ties have faced occasional friction over trade policies, India’s purchases of Russian oil and Trump’s repeated assertions that Washington played a role in ending last year’s India-Pakistan military standoff. While some of these differences remain unresolved, recent diplomatic engagements have indicated efforts by both sides to prevent them from overshadowing the broader strategic partnership.