PM Narendra Modi To Be The Guest Of Honour At France's Bastille Day Celebration - What Does This Mean?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the Guest of Honour at France’s Bastille Day celebrations on 14th July.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the Bastille Day parade in Paris in July 2023 after accepting French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to be the guest of honour for the annual Bastille Day Parade. Modi on Friday thanked French President Emmanuel Macron for inviting him to be the guest of honour on Bastille Day parade via a tweet.
Modi-Macron Meet: What Does This Mean?
A statement issued by the External Affairs Ministry said that the Prime Minister's visit is expected is a signal to the next phase in the India-France Strategic Partnership by setting new and ambitious goals for strategic, cultural, scientific, academic, economic cooperation that includes in a wide range of industries.
The statement also said that this visit will also deliver common initiatives in order to respond to the challenges the world is facing including climate change, biodiversity loss and the achievement of sustainable development goals.
What is expected on July 14
July 14 is France's National Day which dates back to the French Revolution. It's a moment for the French to celebrate what binds them together, especially the values of "liberty, equality, fraternity" which are also in the Preamble to India's Constitution!
Every Bastille Day, Paris' famous avenue des Champs-Elysées hosts a military parade - similar to the Republic Day parade on Kartavya Path!
Narendra Modi will be the second Indian PM to be the Guest of Honour at Bastille Day after Dr Manmohan Singh in 2009. His presence in Paris holds a special significance as France and India are celebrating 25 years of their strategic partnership this year.
Indian and French troops will march side by side in the military parade in Paris. Beyond symbols, this visit also has strong geopolitical significance: since 1947, France and India have always stood by each other.
What Is Bastille Day
Celebrated as the National Day of France, Bastille Day is celebrated is commemorated as an important milestone in the French Revolution. In 1789, the people of Paris had seized weapons from the armoury and marched towards the Bastille jail to release its prisoners after a historic fight.
