India hosted the AI Impact Summit 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi, from 16 to 20 February 2026—the first global AI summit to be held in the Global South. On the sidelines of this event, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a series of high-level bilateral meetings with heads of state and government from across the world. The meetings covered a range of areas, including trade, defence, digital technology, and artificial intelligence.
The Summit drew participation from over 20 heads of state and government, approximately 60 ministers, and 500 global AI leaders. PM Modi has held bilateral engagements so far with heads of government from France, Spain, Finland, Serbia, Croatia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, and Bhutan.
France
On 17 February, PM Modi met French President Emmanuel Macron in Mumbai. This was one of the high-profile bilateral engagements where the two leaders reviewed the full spectrum of relations and elevated them to a “Special Global Strategic Partnership”.
Spain
On 18 February, PM Modi met Spanish President Pedro Sánchez at Hyderabad House. The discussions covered trade and economy, digital innovation, health, climate action, and education. The two sides also discussed defence, security, and technology cooperation. Both leaders noted that 2026 would be marked as the India–Spain Year of Culture, Tourism, and AI. They welcomed the recently concluded India–EU Free Trade Agreement (FTA) as a positive development for bilateral economic ties. Ahead of his meeting with PM Modi, President Sánchez addressed the Spain–India CEO Forum, where he highlighted Spain’s investment potential and sought to strengthen business ties with Indian industry leaders.
Finland
PM Modi held talks with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. Both leaders emphasised the role of digitalisation and sustainability in driving economic growth. They welcomed the presence of technology companies from each country in the other’s economy. The two sides agreed to work towards doubling bilateral trade and expanding cooperation in quantum technology, 6G, renewables, and defence.
Estonia
In his meeting with Estonian President Alar Karis, PM Modi reviewed the full range of India–Estonia relations, with a focus on IT and digitalisation, and underscored the potential for further cooperation in futuristic technologies, e-governance, cybersecurity, startups, and AI, including in education and skilling. They also discussed the potential for collaboration in clean energy and smart energy management.
Serbia and Croatia
PM Modi met Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to discuss cooperation in trade and investment, AI, fintech, education, agriculture, and people-to-people exchanges. He also held bilateral talks with Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, the first Croatian PM ever to visit India, building on relations following PM Modi’s first visit to Croatia as Indian PM in 2025. They too reviewed cooperation in trade and investment, science and technology, connectivity, cultural exchanges, and people-to-people ties.
Kazakhstan
PM Modi held talks with Kazakh Prime Minister Olzhas Bektenov, focusing on deepening the strategic partnership between the two countries. Discussions covered trade, defence and security, connectivity, energy cooperation, emerging technologies, and cultural exchanges.
Bhutan
PM Modi met Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay on 18 February. The two leaders reviewed progress in bilateral cooperation across energy, connectivity, development partnerships, and people-to-people ties. PM Tobgay thanked India for its support of Bhutan’s 13th Five-Year Plan and the Gelephu Mindfulness City project. Both sides agreed to strengthen cooperation in AI and digital technology through joint development of solutions and sharing of expertise.
The upcoming bilateral meeting is scheduled for 21 February with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is on a state visit to India from 18 to 22 February. The two leaders are expected to review the full range of bilateral relations.
Apart from the above, the heads of state and government of Bolivia, Greece, Guyana, Liechtenstein, Serbia, Sri Lanka, Seychelles, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United Arab Emirates graced the AI Impact Summit 2026 with their presence.
