India, Feb. 11 -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended a welcome dinner hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron at the Elysee Palace on Monday before the crucial Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summit in Paris.

Macron described Modi as his 'friend'.

In his X post, Macron said: "Welcome to Paris, my friend @NarendraModi ! Nice to meet you dear @VP Vance! Welcome to all our partners for the AI Action Summit.."

Macron also shared a video of Modi's arrival to the palace for the welcome dinner.

Modi met US Vice President JD Vance at the venue who is also visiting Paris for the summit.

This is the first interaction between Modi and Vance since the US leader took oath in January.

Earlier in the day, Modi received a grand welcome fr...