India, Feb. 13 -- France is India's closest strategic partner in Europe, with the desire of both sides to ensure strategic autonomy in their foreign policy a key reason for the convergence of interests in critical sectors. This is reflected in the outcomes of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Emmanuel Macron in Marseille this week.

Two decisions at the meeting were the launch of an India-France roadmap for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the move to create a partnership for collaboration on small modular reactors (SMRs), which represent the new frontier in both atomic power and green energy. The two sides have identified their joint priorities in the field of AI and potential areas of cooperation that will a...