NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi departed for Paris on Thursday. He has been invited as the Guest of Honour for the Bastille Day Parade on July 14. This will be his sixth visit to France.
On French National Day, a 269-member Indian tri-services contingent will also march in Paris. In addition to this, three Rafale jets and an Indian Air Force Globemaster C17 will also be a part of the flypast.
French National Day, or Bastille Day, occupies a special place in French consciousness. This day commemorates the Storming of the Bastille Prison in 1789 during the French Revolution.
“This visit coincides with the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership. France is a key strategic partner for India,” said foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
PM Modi will have various meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron, who will return to the country from Lithuania after attending the NATO leaders’ summit.
The PM will also attend a private dinner and joint meetings with CEOs. President Macron will host the State Banquet at the iconic Louvre Museum on Bastille Day. He will interact with the entire political leadership of France, including their Prime Minister Borne and the Presidents of the Senate and National Assembly.
Meanwhile, deals for 26 additional Rafale M fighters and three more Scorpene class submarines for the Navy are likely to be cleared. The Defence Acquisition Council is expected to hold a meeting within a day or two on this.
The Indian Air Force operates 36 Rafale jets customised for Indian requirements under a 7.87 billion euros deal signed in April 2016. The outcomes of the bilateral talks will include defence, space, geostrategy, energy and infrastructure.
Modi to hold talks with UAE prez on Friday
After attending the Bastille Day celebrations in France on Thursday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Abu Dhabi on July 15. He will hold talks with Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE and the Ruler of Abu Dhabi.
“The India-UAE Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has been steadily strengthening and the Prime Minister’s visit will be an opportunity to identify ways to take this forward in various domains such as energy, education, healthcare, food security, fintech, defence and culture,” said foreign secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra.
The PM’s UAE visit will also be an opportunity to discuss cooperation on global issues, particularly in the context of UAE’s Presidency of COP-28 of the UNFCCC and India’s G-20 Presidency, in which the UAE is a special invitee.
(With additional inputs from ENS)