Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday announced that India and France have come to an agreement to use the flagship instant payment system in France. PM Modi said the service will begin from the Eiffel Tower, where Indian tourists can make payments in Indian Rupees using a mobile application.

“India and France have agreed to use UPI in France. In the coming days, it will begin from the Eiffel Tower which means Indian tourists will now be able to pay in rupees,” Modi said while addressing the Indian diaspora in Paris.

PM Modi also recalled being the first Indian member of France’s cultural centre, Alliance France, which opened in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad around 40 years back. He also said how his government made an effort to track down his identity card from that centre from old records and handed a photocopy of it to him.

“My bond with France is historic and I can never forget that. Around 40 years ago, France’s cultural centre, Alliance France, was established in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad. The first Indian member of that cultural centre is speaking with you here today,” he said.

The PM further said that Indian villages have more fans of French footballer Kylian Mbappe than he has in his own country.