Signifying strong bilateral ties between the two countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend this year’s Bastille Day Parade, France’s National Day, in Paris as the guest of honour on July 14, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced on Friday.
An Indian Armed forces’ contingent will also participate in the parade along with their French counterparts, it said.
Reacting to the announcement, French President Emmanuel Macron in a tweet in French and Hindi said, “Dear Narendra, it will be my pleasure to welcome you to Paris as the guest of honour for the 14th of July parade.”
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, Modi has accepted Macron’s invitation to attend this year’s Bastille Day Parade as the guest of honour, the MEA statement
Modi’s visit is expected to herald the next phase of the India-France strategic partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries, the MEA said.
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 their cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region, it said.
“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.
The French Embassy here said, also called Bastille Day, July 14 is France’s National Day. It is a day on which the French people celebrate the values of “liberty, equality, fraternity”.
The celebrations are marked by a military parade on Paris’ most iconic avenue, the Champs-Elysées.
This is the second time that a Prime Minister of India will be the guest of honour for July 14, after Manmohan Singh in 2009. Modi’s visit this year bears special significance since France and India are celebrating the 25th anniversary of our strategic partnership, launched in 1998.
A contingent of troops from the Indian Armed forces will march down the Champs-Elysées with French troops, reflecting the solidarity, trust, and exceptionally close ties between our two countries.
Indeed, this visit will provide a historic opportunity to celebrate our joint achievements of the last 25 years, and set our common ambitions for the next 25 years in all areas.
France and India are committed to further strengthening our partnership, to contribute to peace and security, especially in Europe and the Indo-Pacific, make our nations stronger, and advance common initiatives to face the main challenges of our time.
Since 1880, July 14 has been marked as France’s National Day. Its significance dates back to the French Revolution of 1789: the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, and the Fête de la Fédération celebrating the unity of the French people on July 14, 1790.
The high point of the celebrations is the military parade on avenue des Champs-Elysées and the flypast in the skies of Paris. France does not systematically invite heads of State or Government as chief guest at the Bastille Day parade. Such invitations are extended on few occasions, it said.