New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour in this year’s Bastille Day Parade in Paris on France’s national day.
Modi was received by French First Lady Brigitte Macron and Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne Friday morning at the iconic avenue Champs-Elysees which hosts the parade — one of the oldest and largest regular military parades in Europe.
#WATCH | French First Lady Brigitte Macron and France's PM Élisabeth Borne receive Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Bastille Day Parade in Paris.
PM Modi is attending the parade as the Guest of Honour. pic.twitter.com/fOk5ioMBqe
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2023
The 1.9-kilometre historic avenue between Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is located, was decked in the French flag colours of red, blue and white as the parade began.
#WATCH | Paris | Champs-Élysées coloured in red, blue and white – colours of the French Flag – as the Bastille Day parade is all set to begin.
French President Emmanuel Macron arriving at the main stage. pic.twitter.com/ZyvIIy40Xw
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2023
Sitting next to French President Emmanuel Macron, Modi intently watched the spectacle. A contingent from the Indian tri-services was a part of the festivities that commemorates the storming of the Bastille Prison during the French Revolution. Indian Air Force aircraft also performed a fly-past on the occasion.
VIDEO | Indian Army’s Punjab Regiment takes part in Bastille Day Parade in Paris. pic.twitter.com/LjwsU19N1s
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 14, 2023
After the parade, Macron tweeted about the friendship between the two countries – “A giant in world history, with a decisive role to play in the future, a strategic partner, a friend. We are proud to welcome India as our guest of honour at the 14 July parade.”
#WATCH | Flypast above Champs-Élysées in Paris, France as a part of the Bastille Day parade. pic.twitter.com/INm73UgqUK
— ANI (@ANI) July 14, 2023
Prime Minister Modi arrived in Paris Thursday and was given a red-carpet welcome and a ceremonial guard of honour. He was received by French PM Elisabeth Borne.
Soon after landing in Paris, Modi tweeted that he was looking forward to boosting India-France strategic cooperation during this visit.
Addressing the Indian community later, Modi said the world was moving towards a new order and the role and capability of India was changing fast.
In his nearly an hour-long speech to the enthusiastic crowd at the La Seine Musicale — a performing arts centre on an island in the river Seine – Modi outlined India’s fast-paced development, and cited its G20 presidency.
He announced the opening of a new Indian consulate in Marseille in France and told the audience that Indian students doing masters in the European country will now get five-year-long post-study work visas.
Later in the evening, French President Macron hosted Modi to a private dinner at his official residence, the Elysee Palace.
Also read: France fetes India’s Modi at Bastille Day celebration