French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Jaipur on Thursday to participate as the chief guest in this year's Republic Day event. He was received by Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
Macron's visit follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's trip to France in July 2023 for the Bastille Day Parade. With Macron’s visit, France becomes the country that has been invited six times, the most number of times, for Republic Day. This marks Macron’s third visit to India since 2017. In the last five years, PM Modi has visited France three times.
Let's know about French President Emmanuel Macron, the relationship between India and France—and more.
About Emmanuel Macron
Emmanuel Macron is a French politician and the current President of France since 2017. Making history at the age of 39, he became the youngest president in French history. Macron secured his re-election in 2022, making him the first French president in two decades to win a second term.
Positioning himself as a centrist, Macron has maintained that his aim is not to align with either the right or the left but to unite the French people. Before assuming the presidency, he had no prior experience in elected office.
Macron pursued studies in philosophy at Paris Nanterre University, earned a master's degree in public affairs from Sciences Po, and graduated from École nationale d'administration, prestigious institutions in France.
In his personal life, Macron met his wife, Brigitte, when he was 15, and she was his 39-year-old high school drama teacher. Despite her being married with three children at the time, Macron expressed his intention to marry her by the age of 17. The couple tied the knot in 2007.
India-France Relations
Since the end of the Cold War, India has strengthened its ties with Western countries, with France standing out as a notable partner. The strategic partnership between India and France, spanning three decades, rests on three main pillars: defence cooperation, space cooperation, and civil nuclear cooperation.
In terms of defence cooperation, France has emerged as the second-largest supplier of defence equipment to India. Approximately 30% of India's total defence imports between 2018 and 2022 originated from France.
Both nations share a focus on the Indo-Pacific Region, where France, as a resident power, has its own Indo-Pacific Strategy established in 2018. Given its territories in the Indo-Pacific, France is directly involved in the region's geopolitics, making it the sole EU member country with such a presence.
Simultaneously, India is expanding its influence in the Mediterranean Region, not only engaging with France but also strengthening ties with other Mediterranean powers like Italy, Greece, Cyprus, and Egypt.
France has consistently supported India's nuclear stature. In 1998, when India conducted nuclear tests and declared itself a nuclear-weapon state, France was the first country to offer support. This led to the signing of a strategic partnership agreement in 1998, marking 25 years of collaboration in 2023.
Macron’s visit on January 26 is a continuation of the long and steady partnership between India and France.
How India chooses its chief guest for Republic Day
Since 1950, India has extended invitations to the head of state or government of another country as the state guest of honour for Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi. The selection of the guest country is a result of careful consideration of strategic, economic, and political interests.
Indonesian President Sukarno was the first Chief Guest of India's first Republic Day parade on January 26, 1950.
Historically, during the 1950s–1970s, India hosted numerous countries affiliated with the Non-Aligned Movement and the Eastern Bloc. In two instances, in 1968 and 1974, India welcomed two countries on the same Republic Day. However, in 2021 and 2022, India did not have a Chief Guest due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The process of selecting the Chief Guest begins nearly six months before the event. The primary consideration is the nature of the relationship between India and the invited country.
The invitation to be the Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade demonstrates the utmost level of friendship between India and the invitee. The political, commercial, military, and economic interests of India play crucial roles in the decision-making process.
The Chief Guest of India’s Republic Day celebration is looked at as more than a mere ceremonial accord, as this plays a pivotal role in furthering and strengthening the ties between the two countries.
