From Le Figaro with AFP
Published 57 minutes ago, updated 6 minutes ago
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Emmanuel Macron in Dubai, December 1, 2023. LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
This will be the President's second trip to India since 2018.
French President Emmanuel Macron will be Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guest of honor on January 26 to mark the 75th anniversary of the country's national day, the Élysée said on Friday, December 22.
“He accepted the invitation of the Prime Minister of India to travel to New Delhi as guest of honor on January 26, 2024, on the occasion of Republic Day (…),” the French presidency said.
Second move
The holiday celebrates the entry into force of the Constitution of India on January 26, 1950, just over two years after India's independence on August 15, 1947. Narendra Modi, who has visited France four times since the election of President Macron, was himself the guest of honor this year the traditional national holiday on July 14th.
This will be President Emmanuel Macron's second trip to India, after the first in 2018. He also traveled there in September 2023 for a G20 summit. “This is an extremely great honor as there is only one guest of honor on Republic Day (…) an extremely powerful gesture that embodies and gives a strong impetus to our bilateral relations,” he said. emphasized the Élysée.
The two countries already share “numerous projects in the fields of space, defense (particularly with the sale of French Rafale fighter jets), aviation, renewable energy, research and higher education,” he said. reminded the presidency. The Élysée recalled that the three predecessors of the President of the Republic, Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, were also given this honor.