French President Emmanuel Macron has been invited as the chief guest for the 75th Republic Day celebrations, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday. This is the sixth time a French president will be a chief guest at the occasion.
“As strategic partners, India and France share a high degree of convergence on a range of regional and global issues,” the statement said. “This year, we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the India-France strategic partnership.”
Macron also took to Twitter to confirm that he will visit New Delhi for the celebrations.
India had earlier invited United States President Joe Biden to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations, reported The Hindu. But Biden expressed inability to travel to New Delhi in January, according to the newspaper.
The French president had visited India for the G20 Summit on September 8 and September 9.
In July, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour at the Bastille Day parade, which is part of the French National Day celebrations.
After Modi’s visit, India and France had agreed to several new initiatives and agreements in the areas of defence, nuclear energy and research, reported The Indian Express.
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