The President of France, Emmanuel Macron, will be visiting India as the Chief Guest for the January 26 Republic Day celebrations at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Emmanuel Macron, President of France, will be visiting India as the Chief Guest for the 75th Republic Day celebrations,” the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed in a release on December 22.
Emmanuel Macron was invited to attend India’s January 26 Republic Day celebrations in 2024.
India and France share a high degree of convergence on a range of regional and global issues as strategic partners.
Notably, this is the sixth time a French leader will be the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations here in the national capital.
Before Emmanuel Macron, former French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac was the Chief guest on India’s Republic Day celebrations in 1976 and 1998, as were former Presidents Valery Giscard d’Estaing, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Francois Hollande in the years 1980, 2008 and 2016, respectively. This year, we will be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership.
Moreover, PM Modi was the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade held on July 14, 2023, in Paris, the MEA stated.
My Dear Friend President @EmmanuelMacron, we eagerly look forward to receiving you as the Chief Guest at the 75th Republic Day. We will also celebrate India- France strategic partnership and shared belief in democratic values. Bientôt ! https://t.co/jvzvOY2NNa
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 22, 2023
He had visited France at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. “To mark the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, a 241-member tri-service Indian armed forces contingent led by a military band also participated in the Parade,” the PMO said in a statement.
During the parade, the Indian military contingent marched to the patriotic tune of ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha,’ while a squadron of Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale fighters participated in a flypast over the Champs-Elysees at the Bastille Day Parade. Rafale Jets of the Indian Air Force, from the 101 Squadron from Hashimara, formed a part of the flypast during the parade.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron also visited India in September this year to attend the G20 Summit, which was held under India’s Presidency.
President Emmanuel Macron and PM Modi held a bilateral meeting in Delhi on September 10, on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Following the meeting, PM Modi said they reaffirmed their commitment to take India-France relations to newer heights of progress.
India and France cooperate closely in various sectors, including defence, space, civil nuclear, trade, investment, education, culture and people-to-people ties.
(with inputs from ANI)
