PM Modi begins tri-nation tour today

Concentrating on looking investments into the country particularly in defence and infrastructure, Prime Minster Narendra Modi departs for a three-nation tour starting tomorrow that will lead him to France, Germany and Canada.

The first part of the April 9-16 tour takes the Prime Minister to France where apart from having talks with President Francois Hollande and discussing concerns of energy, economy, and defence, he will meet with French business leaders with a special attention on both infrastructure and defence.

The two, New Delhi and Paris have age-old ties on defence and nuclear energy as well. A highlight of the four-day visit in France will be a ride on boat by Modi and Hollande which is being demonstrated as “Naav pe charcha” which means discussions on a boat, said Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar while briefing the media here. PM Modi will also appear in the World War-I memorial in France and pay gratitude to about 10,000 Indians who lost their lives. Before leaving for Germany, the PM will also visit the UNESCO headquarters, Airbus facility and French space agency.

In Germany, the main issue is the Hannover Fair where India is a partner country this year. Narendra Modi, along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will install the “India Pavilion” of the fair and address an India-German business summit. The PM will reveal a bust of Mahatma Gandhi. Modi and Merkel will hold discussions on how Germany can work with India in its program of development since the country is supported for its manufacturing.

Modi is scheduled to visit a railway station in the Germany capital to modernize the Indian Railways.

After visiting Germany, the PM will reach Ottawa, Canada, on April 14 which represents the first standalone visit by an Indian Prime Minister to the country in over 42 years. Narendra Modi will hold discussions with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on a variety of issues, including trade, nuclear energy and investment. He will also appear in a memorial set up for Air India crash victims in Toronto and the Laxmi Narayan Temple in Vancouver before beginning his journey home on April 16.