French President Emmanuel Macron witnessed India’s 75th Republic Day celebrations at Kartavya Path, joining a select group of global leaders to have graced the nation’s biggest ceremonial event in the last seven decades. As the chief guest at the ceremony, Macron observed the grand military parade and cultural performances alongside President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, members of the Union Cabinet, foreign diplomats, and other dignitaries. This marked the sixth time that a French leader was the chief guest at the Republic Day parade.
President Macron engaged in wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Modi on Thursday in Jaipur. A 95-member marching contingent and a 30-member band from France participated in the parade. Additionally, two Rafale fighters and an Airbus A330 multi-role tanker transport aircraft from the French air force were featured in the celebrations. Every year, India invites world leaders to attend its Republic Day celebrations, with the absence of a chief guest in 2021 and 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, then Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was the chief guest, while in 2019, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa attended the Republic Day parade, among other notable global leaders in previous years.
The heads of state and government who have attended Republic Day celebrations include Nicolas Sarkozy, Vladimir Putin, Nelson Mandela, John Major, Mohammed Khatami, and Jacques Chirac. Other notable attendees include then British Prime Minister John Major in 1993, Nelson Mandela as South African President in 1995, and South Korean President Lee Myung Bak in 2010. Various leaders from countries such as France, Nepal, Iran, Indonesia, and the Maldives have also graced the occasion over the years.
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