Emmanuel Macron (L) and Narendra Modi during G20 summit in New Delhi, in September 2023. (File photo)
New Delhi: France’s president, Emmanuel Macron, will be the chief guest at the main Republic Day celebrations in the national capital on January 26, India’s foreign ministry announced on Friday. Macron has acknowledged the invite and announced that he will be in New Delhi for the events.
In its statement, the foreign ministry said: “As Strategic Partners, India and France share a high degree of convergence on a range of regional and global issues. This year, we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership.”
Acknowledging the invitation, Macron thanked the prime minister, Narendra Modi, on X. He said: “Thank you for your invitation, my dear friend Narendra Modi. India, on your Republic Day, I’ll be here to celebrate with you.”
Thank you for your invitation, my dear friend @NarendraModi. India, on your Republic Day, I’ll be here to celebrate with you!
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) December 22, 2023
It may be mentioned that Modi was the chief guest at France’s Bastille Day parade in Paris this year, on July 14. In the event, as India Sentinels had reported, a triservices Indian contingent took part in the parade.
In recent years, the strategic cooperation between Paris and New Delhi has seen an exponential growth. Today, France is one of the major defence suppliers to India. Apart from this, India and France regularly hold joint military exercises, including joint naval drills along with Quad nations in the strategic Indian Ocean region.
