PM Modi to be Guest of Honour at France’s Bastille Day celebrations, Indian Air Force to participate in parade

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will get a great honour during his visit to France. He is the guest of honour at the Bastille Day 2023 military parade. The parade, which will take place in Paris, will feature French and Indian soldiers parading down the famous Champs-Elysees boulevard. The Indian Air Force’s Rafale fighter jets, purchased from France in 2015, will take part in the fly-past over the iconic Arc de Triomphe as a show of collaboration.

Modi’s visit to Paris began on July 13 and is expected to strengthen the defence ties between the two nations. Recently, India granted initial approval for the acquisition of 26 additional Rafale jets for its navy. Along with three Scorpene class submarines. Also these defence deals, which are estimated to be worth around ₹74,000 crore ($9.75 billion), demonstrate the growing collaboration between India and France in the Indo-Pacific region.

PM Modi in France on Bastille Day

Basically, France has been a longstanding partner of India, notably refraining from imposing sanctions after India conducted nuclear tests in 1998. The Indian Air Force has relied on French fighter jets for over four decades. It including the Mirage jets acquired in the 1980s. With the ageing fleet of Russian-made planes and delays in indigenous manufacturing plans, India’s new defence agreements with France have become necessary, Reuters reported.

In addition to the military parade, Modi will engage in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron. It will be done at the Elysee Palace, followed by a state banquet held at the Louvre Museum. France, seeking to strengthen its alliance network in the Indo-Pacific region, views the strategic partnership with India as crucial. Both nations share interests in the Indian Ocean and harbour concerns over China’s increasing assertiveness in the region.

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