French President Emmanuel Macron, who will be the chief guest at the 75th Republic Day celebrations, will arrive in Jaipur on Friday on a two-day trip to India. The visiting premier will also join Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a road show later in the day.
Macron will be in Jaipur for six hours from 2.30 pm on Thursday. He will depart for Delhi at around 8.50 pm. During his Jaipur stay, the President will experience the pink city's history during his visit to the hilltop fort of Amber, the iconic Hawa Mahal and the astronomical observation site of Jantar Mantar.
He will also join Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a road show from the Jantar Mantar area at 6 pm. Modi and Macron are set to begin their talks at 7.15 pm on wide-ranging issues at Taj Rambagh Palace on all key aspects of bilateral India-France ties and various geopolitical upheavals.
Ways to boost bilateral cooperation in a range of areas, including digital domain, defence, trade, clean energy, youth exchanges, and easing of visa norms for Indian students are set to be the focus of the talks, sources told PTI. The talks are also likely to focus on India's proposed procurement of 26 Rafale-M (marine version) fighter jets and three Scorpene submarines. "The negotiations for the procurement of the Rafale-M jets and three Scorpene submarines are moving forward "positively", the sources said.
Modi and Macron are also expected to deliberate on expanding maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, the situation in the Red Sea, the Hamas-Israel conflict and the war in Ukraine.
Republic Day
Macron will witness the Republic Day celebrations as the Chief Guest on Friday. "He will attend the At Home reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan and, later, the State Banquet, at the invitation of the Hon'ble President of India, H.E. Smt Droupadi Murmu," the statement from the PMO stated.
A 95-member marching contingent and a 33-member band contingent from France will take part in the parade. Two Rafale fighter jets and an Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft of the French Air Force will also feature in the celebrations. The French marching contingent from the French Foreign Legion features six Indians.
Ties with France
Macron has previously been in India on a state visit in March 2018 and on an official visit in September 2023 for the Delhi G20 Summit. He has welcomed PM Modi to France on four occasions and the Prime Minister was also the guest of honour at the prestigious Bastille Day Parade held on July 14 last year in Paris.
"This reciprocal invitation to national day celebrations is unprecedented and shows the deep mutual trust and unwavering friendship underpinning Indo-French ties," the statement said.
The visit will strengthen the defence and strategic ties between the two countries, including in defence and maritime domains.
The countries will also finalise new initiatives under the three pillars of the roadmap, which are strategic autonomy, illustrated by close cooperation in the defence sector, partnerships for the planet and partnerships for the people.
