The late summer sun had already set when French President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi emerged from their extended meeting held in the historic halls of the Napoleonic château at Chantilly, about 60 km north of Paris, on Thursday evening. A meeting that was expected to be over in 60 minutes spilled over to beyond 90 minutes. And when the two leaders emerged to address the press, it was clear why.In his rather long opening address, Macron made it clear, point by point, exactly how similar French and Indian views had come to be on a range of regional, international and global issues and that the Indo-French partnership, already time tested, would continue to evolve into a very unique, robust and resilient relationship that could be a benchmark for other countries as well.Modi was content to watch as Macron undertook a strong defence of India and the Indian leader on the controversial issue of the abrogation of Article 370 vis-à-vis Jammu and Kashmir.