Republic Day 2024: French President Emmanuel Macron Likely To Be The Chief Guest

India has invited French President Emmanuel Macron to attend the January 26 Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.

If accepted, Macron will become the sixth French President to grace the occasion as the chief guest.

AFP

Biden was invited first

Earlier, India had invited US President Joe Biden to be the Republic Day chief guest, but he expressed his inability to travel to New Delhi in January.

The reasons for Biden's decision are believed to be influenced by the State of the Union address in late January or early February, his re-election bid, and Washington's increasing focus on the Hamas-Israel conflict.

Modi, guest of honour at Bastille Day Parade

Earlier this year, PM Modi visited France on the invitation of French President Macron to attend the Bastille Day Parade, where he was the Guest of Honour.

REUTERS

French President Macron had also visited India in September this year to attend the G20 Summit, which was held under India's Presidency.

President Macron and Prime Minister Modi held a bilateral meeting in Delhi on September 10 on the sidelines of the G20 summit. Following the meeting, PM Modi said they reaffirmed their commitment to take India-France relations to newer heights of progress.

The two leaders had also met earlier this month in Dubai during the COP28 summit.

AFP

R-Day's French connection?

In the past, French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac (1976 and 1998) and French Presidents Valery Giscard d'Estaing (1980), Nicolas Sarkozy (2008) and Francois Hollande (2016) had been the Chief guests at India's Republic Day celebrations.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebration in 2023.

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