French President Emmanuel Macron to be Republic Day chief guest

Sandeep Dikshit

New Delhi, December 22

Emmanuel Macron, President of France, will be the chief guest for the 75th Republic Day celebrations, the Ministry of External Affairs announced on Friday.

PM Narendra Modi was the guest of honour at the Bastille Day Parade held on July 14 in Paris. Rafale jets of the Indian Air Force, from the 101 Squadron from Hasimara, formed a part of the flypast at the parade. The announcement came a day after the French government submitted its response to India’s Rs 50,000 crore tender to purchase 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets for the Indian Navy. “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,” noted the MEA while making the announcement. This is the third time a French President has stepped in at an awkward time for South Block. After emergency was declared and several western countries distanced themselves from India, French PM Jacques Chirac was the chief guest at the Republic Day function in 1976. Chirac stepped in again, but as President of France, for the 1998 R-Day celebrations when the global climate was such that several western states were unwilling to send their leaders to India. PM Modi had earlier planned for the Quad leadership comprising US President Joe Biden and PMs of Australia and Japan as chief guests for the R-Day celebrations with the Quad summit planned a day later.