Narendra Modi 'looks forward' to working with Macron

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi congratulated Emmanuel Macron on being elected as the president of France and said he looked forward to working closely with him to further strengthen bilateral relations.

"Congratulations to @EmmanuelMacron for an emphatic victory in the French Presidential election. #Presidentielle2017," Modi tweeted.

"I look forward to working closely with President-elect @EmmanuelMacron to further strengthen India-France ties," he added.

Macron, 39, defeated Marine Le Pen on Sunday, and created history by becoming the youngest president in the 59-year history of the French Fifth Republic.

Macron's victory marked the third time in six months – following elections in Austria and the Netherlands, that European voters shot down far-right populists who wanted to restore borders across Europe.

His economic adviser said the president-elect would be tough in negotiations over the terms of Britain's departure from the European Union but would not seek to punish Britain.

Jean Pisani-Ferry said that no-one had an interest in a hard Brexit that totally severs ties between Britain and the rest of the European Union once it leaves, saying there was a mutual interest in maintaining economic and security ties.

"At the same time, we have divergent interests on some aspects of the negotiations. So there will be a tough negotiation and he will be tough," Pisani-Ferry said, adding that Macron would not seek retribution against Britain for leaving the EU even as he looked to strengthen the bloc.

"Punish? Certainly not. But he believes that today that Europe is part of the solution to the problems we're facing."