Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, has received an invitation to attend Bharat’s Republic Day celebrations on January 26 2024, according to sources. Both the leaders, Prime MInister Narendra Modi and Emmanuel Macron met in July during PM Modi’s visit to France to attend the Bastille Day Parade where PM Modi attended the parade in the capacity of the Guest of Honour.
PM Modi visited France to mark the 25th anniversary of the strategic partnership between Bharat and France on December 22..
“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.
The Bhartiya Army contingent was led by the Punjab Regiment, followed by a complement from the Rajputana Rifles Regiment. During the parade, the Bhartiya 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 Hasimara, formed a part of the flypast during the parade.
July 14 marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille prison on July 14, 1789, during the French Revolution, which symbolises the democratic values of ‘Liberty, Equality and Fraternity’, the central theme of both the Bhartiya and French constitutions. Meanwhile, French President Macron also visited Bharat in September this year to attend the G20 Summit which was held under Bharat’s Presidency.
President Macron and Prime Minister 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 Bharat-France relations to newer heights of progress. PM Modi had posted on X, “A very productive lunch meeting with President @EmmanuelMacron. We discussed a series of topics and look forward to ensuring India-France relations scale new heights of progress.”
The two leaders reiterated their commitment to strengthen defence cooperation through partnership in the design and expansion of production in Bharat and called for early finalisation of the Defence Industrial Roadmap. This is, notably the 6th time, a French leader will be the Chief guest at Republic Day celebrations here in the national capital.
Prior to Macron, former French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac was the Chief guest on Bharat’s Republic Day celebrations in 1976 and 1998, and former Presidents Valery Giscard d’Estaing, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Francois Hollande in the years 1980, 2008 and 2016 respectively. Bharat and France cooperate closely in various sectors, including defence, space, civil nuclear, trade, investment, education, culture and people-to-people ties.
ANI
