Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Emmanuel Macron and World Bank President Ajay Banga can be seen sharing a light moment on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on Monday (November 19). In a video posted on Mr Macron’s official The two most powerful leaders on the planet are laughing.
In the clip, Mr Banga approaches the two before turning to PM Modi and saying: “He (Macron) is going from one Indian to another”, causing both leaders to laugh. “He is always there,” PM Modi can be heard replying.
Meanwhile, President Macron captioned the post saying: “It is always a pleasure to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as our partnership with India is rich and multifaceted. We reiterated the initiatives launched during his state visit last January. “Reviewed the progress.” And also major international issues.”
It is always a pleasure to meet the Prime Minister @NarendraModiBecause our partnership with India is both rich and multidimensional.
We reviewed the progress on initiatives launched during my State Visit last January, as well as key international issues. pic.twitter.com/WSatqfqout
– Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) 19 November 2024
Who is Mr. Banga?
Mr. Banga is an Indian-American business executive who has been serving as the head of the World Bank since last year. Previously, he served as Executive Chairman of Mastercard from July 2010 to December 2020, during which time he held the position of Chairman and CEO.
Read this also PM Modi met Italy’s Giorgia Meloni in Brazil, held bilateral talks
bilateral meeting
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed ways to increase cooperation in space, energy and AI. PM Modi also took to social media to congratulate Mr Macron for the successful hosting of the Olympics and Paralympics earlier this year.
“It is always a great pleasure to meet my friend, President Emmanuel Macron. Appreciated him for successfully hosting the Paris Olympics and Paralympics earlier this year,” PM Modi posted on Twitter.
“We talked about how India and France will continue to work together in space, energy, AI and other such futuristic areas. Our countries will also work together to enhance people-to-people ties.”
It is always a great pleasure to meet my friend, President Emmanuel Macron. Praised him for successfully hosting the Paris Olympics and Paralympics earlier this year. We talked about how India and France will continue to work together in areas like space, energy, AI… pic.twitter.com/6aNxRtG8yP
-Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 18 November 2024
Apart from Mr Macron, PM Modi also bet on Italian PM Giorgia Meloni and UK PM Keir Starmer in Rio.