French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in the pink city of Jaipur on Thursday on a two-day state visit to India during which he will be the chief guest at the Republic-Day parade in New Delhi on Friday.
Mr Macron, who is accompanied by a high-level delegation, was received at the Jaipur Airport by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
“Bienvenue en Inde! President @EmmanuelMacron of France warmly welcomed by Governor @KalrajMishra of Rajasthan, EAM @DrSJaishankar & CM @BhajanlalBjp of Rajasthan as he arrived in the historic city of Jaipur. President Macron is the Chief Guest at the 75th Republic Day celebrations,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a social media post on X soon after the French leader’s arrival.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extended the invitation to the French leader to the Republic Day after US President Joe Biden expressed his inability to attend the celebrations in New Delhi citing domestic reasons. Mr Macron’s visit caps the 25th-anniversary celebrations of the India-France Strategic Partnership.
The pink city has been decked up with posters of PM Modi and President Macron, whose delegation includes top officials and business honchos.
Mr Macron began his visit by touring the Amber Fort. Later in the day, Mr Modi and the French president are scheduled to hold a roadshow in the pink city before going into bilateral talks at the Taj Ramgarh Palace.
Notably, a French Armed Forces contingent is participating in the Republic-Day parade and flypast alongside Indian troops and aviators.
Mr Macron’s state visit marks France’s sixth participation, the highest of any other nation, as chief guest on India’s Republic Day.
President Macron’s visit will consolidate the ambitious renewal of the France-India strategic partnership that the two leaders decided on in Paris on July 14 through the “Horizon 2047 Roadmap”, the MEA said.