Nice, June 14 -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday praised India's growing role in shaping global technological progress, describing the country as "spearheading global innovation" and reaffirming France's commitment to deepening cooperation with India in areas ranging from artificial intelligence to clean energy and scientific research.

Addressing the 'Bharat Innovates' event in Nice alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Macron said India's innovation ecosystem, vast talent pool and research capabilities have made it a leading force in global technological advancement.

"A country with 1.4 billion inhabitants, a country who pays on know-how and research knowledge and training as many engineers as Europe and the US combined, m...