New Delhi, May 23: French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday made a congratulatory phone call to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for BJP's emphatic win in the Lok Sabha elections."The two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to work together towards further strengthening of the Strategic Partnership between India and France," an official statement said.

Modi thanked Macron for his country's "steadfast support" to India on "critical issues," apparently referring to United Nation Security Council recently declaring Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist, among other issues. JeM had claimed responsibility for the February 14 Pulwama attack in which 40 CRPF soldiers were killed.

"Describing PM Modi as one of the foremost leaders of the democratic world, President Macron reiterated his invitation to Prime Minister Modi to visit France in August 2019 for a bilateral meeting and also to attend the G7 Summit at Biarritz," the statement added. In 2016, India signed an agreement with France for acquiring 36 Rafale combat aircraft for the Indian Air Force.

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