PM Modi, Estonian President hold first bilateral on AI Paris Summit sidelines; talks productive, say Foreign Secy Misri

Feb 11, 2025

Paris [France], February 11 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday held his first bilateral meeting with President of Estonia, Alar Karis on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit in Paris, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said adding that both the leaders expressed satisfaction at the growing bilateral cooperation in several fields.
PM Modi in a post on X said that the discussion included ways to boost ties in areas like trade, technology, culture and more.
"Had a very productive meeting with the President of Estonia, Mr. Alar Karis on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit in Paris. India's ties with Estonia are growing remarkably over the years. We discussed ways to boost ties in areas like trade, technology, culture and more" PM Modi posted on X.
https://x.com/narendramodi/status/1889311629793521709
Addressing a press briefing in Paris on Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Misri said, "This was the first meeting between the two leaders and both of them expressed satisfaction at the growing bilateral cooperation in several fields, including especially the IT and digital sphere, and agreed to increase institutional and people-to-people engagements between the two countries."
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that Prime Minister invited the Estonian government and companies to explore the opportunities offered by the India growth story and take advantage of programmes such as Digital India.
"Prime Minister and President Karis underlined that warm and friendly relations between India and Estonia are based on their shared commitment to democracy, rule of law and the values of freedom and pluralism. The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the growing bilateral cooperation in various fields, including trade and investment, IT and digital, culture, tourism and people-to-people ties," the MEA said.
"They discussed the ongoing bilateral cooperation in the field of cyber security. ," MEA said in a statement. The two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues and cooperation in the UN.
"The two leaders noted the importance of the India-Estonia partnership also in the context of the India-EU strategic partnership. They welcomed the initiation of ministerial exchanges in the India-Nordic-Baltic format. The leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, and cooperation at the United Nations," the statement said.
PM Modi appreciated the popularity that yoga has gained in Estonia and expressed satisfaction at the growing cultural and people-to-people ties between India and Estonia.
President of Estonia, Alar Karis in a post on X said that he stressed India's key role and the need to uphold international law.
https://x.com/AlarKaris/status/1889324727505698917
"In Paris at the Paris AI Summit, met with India's PM Narendra Modi. Discussed Estonia-India digital cooperation. We also talked about global security, incl. Russia's aggression against Ukraine. I stressed India's key role & the need to uphold international law."