Digital era calls for trust and transparency, says Jaishankar

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday said the digital era calls for trust and transparency as he addressed the inaugural session of the 14th India-France CEO Forum on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit in Paris. Talking about the summit, the plenary session of which was co-chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, Jaishankar said, “The digital era calls for trust and transparency.” “These are indeed shared attributes between us. The summit is a reminder in itself of how much we could be doing in AI, software development and cyber security. 2026 has been designated the India-France year of innovation,” the external affairs minister said.
Jaishankar emphasized that India and France can play a significant role in shaping the fast-evolving global economy, including by inspiring the European Union (EU). stressed the need for diversified production, reliable and resilient supply chains, and deeper business collaborations to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world. He stressed the need for diversified production, reliable and resilient supply chains, and deeper business collaborations to meet the challenges of an ever-changing world.
Highlighting the independent traditions of both nations, Jaishankar said, “We are actively working to strengthen each other’s positions and make our collaboration a significant factor in contemporary global affairs.” He underscored that stronger India-France cooperation would contribute to global economic stability during volatile times. “The ‘Make in India’ initiative has opened up numerous new possibilities in this regard,” he said on the sidelines of the AI Action Summit.
Jaishankar urged stakeholders to weigh in on ongoing Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations. “Defence, manufacturing, and aerospace are well-established areas of cooperation. Both the nature and scale of this collaboration are poised for a significant leap. The challenge before us is to fully capitalize on it,” he said. He also highlighted India’s ongoing clean energy transition, rapid infrastructure development, and advancements in digital public infrastructure (DPI).