What is on French President Macron’s Agenda as He Visits India for the Republic Day Parade?
GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 25th Jan. President Emmanuel Macron is arriving in India on Thursday as the guest of honor. The visit includes a lavish palace feast and a vibrant military parade, as France seeks to establish lucrative deals with the world’s fifth-largest economy.
Macron will receive a warm welcome from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, including a dinner at a 19th-century maharaja’s palace. He will also serve as the chief guest at a military march, featuring tanks, dancing troupes, camel cavalry, and a fighter jet fly-past.
The Foreign Ministry describes New Delhi and Paris as strategic partners, while the French presidency states that the trip will strengthen diplomatic and economic relations.
Despite differences over the war in Ukraine and close ties with Moscow, Western democracies are seeking to build a relationship with New Delhi as a military and economic counterbalance to China.
France aims to expand its military contracts following the purchase of French-made Rafale fighter jets and Scorpene-class submarines by the Defense Ministry in multibillion-dollar deals.
Macron, who is reportedly visiting India after US President Joe Biden declined an invitation, also hopes to sell six EPR nuclear reactors.
The French president, who attended the G20 summit in India in September, will first travel to Jaipur in Rajasthan state for a dinner with PM Modi at the luxurious Rambagh Palace hotel.
France and India collaborate on space and satellite technology, and the French delegation includes astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
The visit will also include a stop at Jaipur’s 18th-century Jantar Mantar astronomical observation site.
On Friday, Macron will witness a military parade in New Delhi to celebrate Republic Day, which marks the 75th anniversary of India’s constitution.
Similar to Indian soldiers marching in the streets of Paris in 2023, a French contingent will participate in the military spectacle in New Delhi, with French-built jets soaring overhead.
The French presidency stated that India is a crucial partner in promoting international peace and security.
Last year, Macron visited neighboring Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and also embarked on a Pacific trip to reaffirm France’s commitment to the wider Asia-Pacific region.
During his visit, Macron is also scheduled to visit a Muslim Sufi shrine in New Delhi’s Nizamuddin West neighborhood.
