Boosted ties, shared logistics and opened doors: Modi-Macron meet is a winner

There's something unique about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brand of hospitality. He doesn't repeat the special effects, and always offers something different to his special guests. For Emmanuel Macron, his new young friend from France, the PM opened up his constituency Varanasi, giving him a cruise of the Ganga on board a flower bedecked boat. The last time he'd hosted a special guest here was in December 2015, when Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited. Modi had then organised a spectacular aarti for him. And who can forget that famous swing on the banks of the Sabarmati, in which Modi sat with Chinese Premier Xi Jingping in 2014? Or the special edition of Mann ki Baat on radio with his 'friend' Barack Obama.

President Macron and PM Modi arrived in Varanasi separately on Monday, from where they flew together by a helicopter to Mirzapur to inaugurate the largest solar plant in the state. With identical handwoven stoles around their shoulders, the two definitely looked a power team. Returning to Varanasi, they visited a handicraft facilitation centre before cruising down a surprisingly clean Ganga from Assi Ghat to Dashashwamedh Ghat. What more, the two lunched privately before moving off to individual engagements.

Macron flies back to Paris with wife Brigitte, having strengthened ties that were already rather special, and getting increasingly closer. As a French official had mentioned, there are very few countries left in the world with whom France has shared values of democracy, multilateralism and rule of law.

The most important tangible result from the visit is the agreement of reciprocal sharing of logistic facilities at each others' bases for the armed forces. With French territory on the Indian Ocean (Reunion Islands, Djibouti), this is of great significance for India. A similar agreement with the US is already operational. The decision to recognise each other's degrees is another important takeaway. It opens the doors for extensive student exchange, which ultimately strengthens people to people connects. So far, there were only 5,000 Indian students in France and 1,500 French students in India. Macron is keen on doubling Indian students in Paris, within the next couple of years. The announcement of a third joint satellite, TRISHNA, for ecosystem stress and water use monitoring, commemorates 50 years of joint space missions. The International Solar Alliance's first summit, held on March 11, gave Macron the opportunity to not just refer to his new friend on a first name basis—Narendra—but also to take a dig at another fair weather friend—Donald Trump—who has taken the US away from the climate deal without a qualm.