NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited as the guest of honour to attend this year’s Bastille Day Parade.
"On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership, PM Modi has accepted French President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to attend this year’s Bastille Day Parade as Guest of Honour on 14 July in Paris," said a government communique.
To mark this important milestone, an Indian armed forces contingent will participate in the parade alongside their French counterparts. PM Modi’s visit is expected to herald the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new targets for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic and economic cooperation, including in a wide range of industries.
PM Modi and President Macron are slated to meet later this month in Hiroshima on the sidelines of the G7 Summit. President Macron is expected to attend the G20 Leaders Summit too in September this year in India.
"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 our cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region. 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," said the Ministry of External Affairs.
Bastille Day is one of the most significant celebrations in France. Also known as the French National Day, it marks the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on July 14th 1789 – which was a major event of the French Revolution that celebrated the unity of the French people on 14th July 1790. The Bastille Day parade is said to be the oldest and largest military parade in Europe.