Emmanuel Macron. (File photo)
New Delhi: The 75th Republic Day parade in New Delhi’s Kartavya Path on January 26 will witness a substantial participation from France. The parade will see a flypast by two French air force Rafale fighters, one one multirole tanker-transport aircraft, a 33-member French air force band, and a 95-member marching contingent of French Foreign Legion.
During a news conference in the national capital, the defence secretary, Giridhar Aramane, revealed this. He also reiterated the French president, Emmanuel Macron, will be the chief guest for the event, as India Sentinels had reported earlier.
During the media interaction, Aramane also revealed in detail the government’s other plans for the parade.
It may be mentioned that the prime minister, Narendra Modi, was the chief guest at France’s Bastille Day parade in Paris this year, on July 14. In the event, as India Sentinels had reported, a triservices Indian contingent took part in the parade.
Today, France is one of India’s closest strategic partners and a major supplier of defence equipment, including latest weaponry and platforms. Apart from this, India and France regularly hold joint military exercises, including joint naval drills along with Quad nations in the strategic Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
