NEW DELHI: French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday attended an at-home reception hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on the occasion of 75th Republic Day at Rashtrapati Bhavan on Friday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and his wife Sudesh Dhankhar were also present. The visuals showed French President Macron interacting with several leaders and defence officials.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Union Minister of Women and Child Development Smriti Irani, Union Minister of Earth Sciences Kiren Rijiju, Former President Ram Nath Kovind and other leaders were present on the occasion.
Earlier in the day, French President Macron participated as the Chief Guest in the 75th Republic Day parade. President Droupadi Murmu and PM Narendra Modi warmly greeted him. French contingents marched alongside Indian forces on Kartavya Path.
In a post shared on X, Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “President @EmmanuelMacron of France participated as the Chief Guest in the 75th Republic Day parade. President Droupadi Murmu @rashtrapatibhvn & PM @narendramodi warmly greeted the honoured guest. French contingents marched alongside Indian forces in a show of mutual trust and friendship”.
President Droupadi Murmu commenced the celebrations of the 75th Republic Day on Friday by unfurling the national flag at Kartavya Path. President Murmu on her arrival at Kartavya Path was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Simultaneously, the National Anthem was played and the 21 Gun Salute was presented to the President. The two Presidents arrived at Kartavya Path in the ‘Traditional Buggy’, a practice which made a comeback after a gap of 40 years. For the first time, an all-women triservice contingent participated in the parade.
As many as 16 states and Union Territories also displayed their heritage diversity with the help of cultural performances and tableaux. This year, the parade has twin themes — ‘Visit Bharat’ (developed India) and ‘Bharat — Loktantra Ki Matruka’ (Mother of Democracy).
Macron on Friday arrived in Delhi to participate as the chief guest at the 75th Republic Day parade here. On Thursday, Macron arrived in Jaipur and visited Hawa Mahal, Amber Fort and Jantar Mantar. He and PM Modi held a mega road show and held talks in Jaipur.
“Taking India-France Strategic Partnership to greater heights! Productive discussions held between PM @narendramodi and President @EmmanuelMacron of France in Jaipur. The two leaders took stock of bilateral ties & exchanged perspectives on a wide-range of bilateral and global issues,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Official Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal wrote on X. (ANI)