PM Modi to be Guest of Honour at Bastille Day Parade in France

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the Guest of Honour at the Bastille Day Parade in Paris on July 14.

The invite to PM Modi is to mark the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership milestone.

The parade will also see an Indian armed forces contingent marching alongside their French counterparts.

French President Emmanuel Macron in a tweet in Hindi said he will be honoured to welcome PM Modi at the event:

“प्रिय नरेंद्र, 14 जुलाई की परेड के सम्मानित अतिथिके रूप में तुम्हारा पेरिस में स्वागत कर के मुझे बहुतखुशी होगी।“

PM Modi, replied, saying he looks forward to celebrating Bastille Day and the bilateral Strategic Partnership in Paris.

“Thank you my friend @EmmanuelMacron!

“I look forward to celebrating Bastille Day and our Strategic Partnership with you and the French people.”

An official statement said:

“On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has accepted President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to attend this year’s Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour on 14 July 2023 in Paris.

To mark this important milestone, an Indian armed forces contingent will participate in the Parade alongside their French counterparts.

Prime Minister Modi’s visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for our strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries.

India and France have a shared vision on peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific and uphold the objectives and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, which are also the basis of our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

This historic visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the key challenges of our time, including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals and will be an opportunity for India and France to reaffirm their commitment to multilateralism, including in the context of India’s G20 Presidency, the statement said.

UNI