NEW DELHI: France made several special gestures for the banquet hosted by its President Emmanuel Macron for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, officials said on Saturday.
To begin with, the banquet on the occasion of Bastille Day on Friday was hosted at the Louvre Museum.
The last time the museum, home to some of the world's most famous works of art, was the venue for a banquet was in 1953 which was held in the honour of Queen Elizabeth, they said.
Generally, it gets a lot of footfall on this national day for France but was closed off for the banquet.
"Even the thread for the menu had the Indian tricolour which is a deviation from their protocol because they always do French colours only," an official said.
The menu also featured specially curated vegetarian dishes, they added.
In his remarks at the banquet dinner, PM Modi said that the world has faced many ups and downs in the past 25 years but the friendship between India and France continued to grow deeper.
He also said that the two nations have prepared a roadmap for the next 25 years and that their partnership is a force for global good.
PM Modi, who was on a two-day visit to France participated in the Bastille Day celebrations on Friday.
He attended Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron on the Champs-Elysees.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)