French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed his attendance at the 75th Republic Day parade in Delhi on January 26, making him the sixth French leader to do so

French President Emmanuel Macron has confirmed that he will attend the 75th Republic Day parade in national capital Delhi on January 26, 2024. The confirmation makes Emmanuel Macron the sixth French leader to grace the prestigious annual event.

Emmanuel Macron took to microblogging site ‘X’, formerly known as Twitter, to declare his acceptance of the invitation extended to him by the Indian government. “Thank you for your invitation, my dear friend @NarendraModi. India, on your Republic Day, I’ll be here to celebrate with you!" Macron wrote on X.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Macron will be visiting India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, will be visiting India as the Chief Guest for the 75th Republic Day celebrations," the MEA said in a statement.

"As strategic partners, India and France share a high degree of convergence on a range of regional and global issues. This year, we are celebrating the 25th anniversary of the India-France strategic partnership," it said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour at the Bastille Day Parade held on July 14 in Paris. President Macron visited India for the G-20 Summit in September.

The French president was invited after US President Joe Biden confirmed that he wasn’t able to attend the event. Joe Biden's rebuff of India's invitation to attend the Republic Day parade on January 26, which marks the adoption of India's post-independence constitution, came after diplomatic ructions over an alleged Indian plot to kill Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States.

Macron is also seeking to deepen political and business ties with India as part of efforts to push back against China’s rise. Total goods traded between France and India approached $15.8 billion in 2022, up 6 per cent, reports Bloomberg.

In 2016, the then president of France François Hollande was the chief guest at India’s Republic Day, which marks the anniversary of the day the country's secular Constitution came into effect in 1950. It will be the sixth time a French leader is attending the event in New Delhi.

The Republic Day parade is a highly choreographed cultural and military spectacle of tanks, fighter jets, motorbike stunts, and traditional dances from different parts of the country.