At the invitation of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, H.E. Mr. Emmanuel Macron, President of France, will be visiting India as the Chief Guest for the 75th Republic Day celebrations.
As Strategic Partners, India and France share a high degree of convergence on a range of regional and global issues.
This year, India-France are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership.
The Prime Minister of India was the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade held on 14 July 2023 in Paris.
Also, President Macron visited India for the G-20 Summit on 9-10 September 2023.
Notably, the development comes soon after the US was unable to accept India’s invitation for President Joe Biden to be the chief guest for Republic Day.
This is principally due to Biden’s focus on domestic politics, including the annual State of the Union address, and his re-election bid in 2024.
The development also comes at a time when France has reportedly submitted its bid to India’s defence ministry to sell 26 Rafale-Marine combat jets in a deal estimated to be worth Rs 50,000 crore.
These jets are meant to bolster the Indian Navy’s combat capabilities.
To be noted that the Indian Air Force already operates 36 Rafale jets acquired under a Rs 59,000-crore deal finalised in 2016.
Source: https://www.mea.gov.in/
