Prime Minister Narendra Modi was warmly received by French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris on Friday. PM Modi, who is in France for a two-day official visit, was joined by President Emmanuel Macron as the guest of honor at the French National Day celebrations in the city on Friday.
“Dear Narendra Modi, a warm welcome to Paris!” Macron said on Twitter in Hindi. “India and France celebrate 25 years of strategic partnership as well as enduring bonds of trust and friendship,” Macron said in a Hindi tweet.
French National Day, or Bastille Day, holds a unique place in the French consciousness because it commemorates the violence that took place at the Bastille prison in 1789 during the French Revolution. The most important part of the celebration is the Bastille Day Parade.
A 269-member Indian Tri-Services contingent will participate in the parade. Three Rafale fighter aircraft of the Indian Air Force (IAF) will also participate in the flypast at the event along with the French planes.
Today PM Modi will participate in the Bastille Day march, meet French Public Party leader Yael Braun-Pivet and hold a series of meetings with philosophers and financial experts.
According to official sources, Modi’s visit is taking place on the 25th anniversary of the Indo-French strategic partnership. He said it is unusual to welcome foreign leaders as distinguished visitors on Bastille Day and the last time this was done was in 2017 when former US President Donald Trump was received.
After a ceremonial reception for Modi at the Elysee Palace, Macron and Modi will hold delegation-level talks.
The two leaders will also participate in the India-France Presidential meeting. Later in the night, Macron will host a dinner for Modi at the infamous Louvre exhibition hall complex in Paris.
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