After US President Joe Biden expressed his inability to travel to India on January 26, India has invited French President Emmanuel Macron to be the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations, PTI reported quoting sources. If Macron confirms his visit, this will be the sixth time that a French leader will be the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi.
Before Macron, former French Prime Minister Jacques Chirac was the chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations in 1976 and 1998. Former presidents Valery Giscard d'Estaing, Nicolas Sarkozy, and Francois Hollande had graced the January 26 parade as chief guests in 1980, 2008 and 2016 respectively.
Egypt President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was the chief guest on India's 74th Republic Day earlier this year. On Republic Day, India showcases its military might as well as its diverse culture.
PM Modi had invited Biden to be the chief guest for Republic Day celebrations during their bilateral meeting on September 8 ahead of the New Delhi G20 summit, US Envoy Eric Garcetti had confirmed in September. However, Biden has reportedly expressed inability to attend the event, PTI reported.
While no reason has been given, US media reported that the President's State of the Union address was scheduled to take place before January 30. The address is crucial as US elections will take place next year.
In September, Macron had visited New Delhi to attend the G20 Summit. He also held a bilateral meeting with PM Modi on September 10 on the sidelines of the summit, where the leaders reaffirmed their commitment to take India-France ties to newer heights of progress.
"A very productive lunch meeting with President Emmanuel Macron. We discussed a series of topics and look forward to ensuring India-France relations scale new heights of progress," PM Modi had tweeted.
During their meeting, Modi and Macron spoke on strengthening their defence cooperation and expansion of production in India while deciding an early finalisation of the Defence Industrial Roadmap.
Before this, PM Modi had visited France in July to attend the Bastille Day Parade as the Guest of Honour. A 241-member tri-service contingent of the Indian military also participated in the parade.