- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
The French president will be the chief guest at India’s 75th Republic Day ceremony on January 26.
By: Shubham Ghosh
FRENCH president Emmanuel Macron is set to kick-start his two-day trip to India on Thursday (25) by visiting the stunning hilltop fort of Amber, iconic Hawa Mahal and astronomical observation site of Jantar Mantar in the city of Jaipur in the north-western state of Rajasthan.
The western leader will be the chief guest at the 75th Republic Day celebrations on January 26 at Delhi’s Kartavya Path (Path of Responsibility) that would make him the sixth leader from France to grace the prestigious annual extravaganza.
In his nearly six-hour stay in Jaipur, Macron will also join prime minister Narendra Modi in a road show before the two leaders hold wide-ranging talks at luxury hotel Taj Rambagh Palace on all key aspects of bilateral India-France ties and various geopolitical upheavals.
Read: Modi watches Bastille Day celebrations with France’s Macron, salutes parading Indian troops
The Indian prime minister’s office said in a statement that Modi will welcome Macron in Jaipur around 5.30 pm local time, and the two leaders will visit various places of cultural and historical significance in the city, including Jantar Mantar, Hawa Mahal and Albert Hall Museum.
The French president’s aircraft is scheduled to land at Jaipur airport at 2.30 pm local time on Thursday and he will depart for Delhi around 8.50 pm, according to the Indian ministry of external affairs.
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The road show is scheduled to kick off at Jantar Mantar area at 6 pm while Modi and Macron are set to begin their talks at 7.15 pm.
Ways to boost bilateral cooperation in a range of areas, including digital domain, defence, trade, clean energy, youth exchanges, easing of visa norms for Indian students are set to be the focus of the talks, sources said. It is expected that India’s proposed procurement of 26 Rafale-M (marine version) fighter jets and three Scorpene submarines would also figure in the talks.
The negotiations for the procurement of the Rafale-M jets and three Scorpene submarines are moving forward “positively”, the sources said. It is not immediately clear whether there will be an announcement on sealing of the two multi-billion dollar deals. Modi and Macron are also expected to deliberate on expanding maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, the situation in the Red Sea, Hamas-Israel conflict and the war in Ukraine.
On Friday (26), Macron will witness the Republic Day celebrations as the chief guest. A 95-member marching contingent and 33-member band contingent from France will take part in the parade. The French marching contingent from the French Foreign Legion features six Indians.
Two Rafale fighter jets and an Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft of the French air force will also feature in the celebrations.
Macron will also attend the ‘At Home’ reception by his Indian counterpart Droupadi Murmu at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, her official residence. He is also scheduled to hold a meeting with Murmu at 7.10 pm.
The French president is scheduled to depart Delhi at 10.05 pm on Friday.
In July last year, Modi was the guest of honour at the prestigious Bastille Day parade in Paris.
President Macron visited India for the G20 Summit in September last.
The defence and strategic ties between India and France have been on an upswing in the last few years. The two strategic partners also expressed commitment to cooperate in the co-development and co-production of advanced defence technologies, including for the benefit of third countries.
Initially, US president Joe Biden was supposed to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations but it was declined. As a result, a summit meeting of the Quadrangular Security Dialogue (Quad), which was planned for January 27, was also called off.
(With PTI inputs)
