A 95-member marching contingent and a 33-member band contingent from France will participate in the 75th Republic Day Parade in New Delhi today.
French Air Force Rafale fighter jets and multirole tanker transport aircraft will also participate in the Republic Day parade, where French President Emmanuel Macron is the chief guest this year, as per a release issued by the Defence Ministry.
Kartavya Path will witness a march past by a combined band and marching contingent of the French Armed Forces. The band contingent will be headed by Captain Khourda. This will be followed by a marching contingent led by Captain Noel.
One Multi-Role Tanker Transport aircraft and two Rafale fighter jets of the French Air and Space Force will fly above the contingents while they march past the saluting dais.
An officer in the French Foreign Legion, Captain Loic Alexandre, said he felt “honoured” to be here in India for the Republic Day celebrations.
“We are very honoured to be here in India. The French army has been invited and we saw the Indian army in Paris, France, last year. So they proved that they are part of a great army and that’s why we are very proud to be here with them,” he said.
He further thanked all the services that welcomed them and emphasised that it is a great moment for them.
“We are very well welcomed. So I would like to thank all the services that are working to welcome us and yes, it’s a very great moment for us,” he said.
“For this very special occasion, Republic Day in India, we are 130 people who are marching on Kartavya Path…There is the music band on the French… and then infantry regiment, the second foreign infantry regiment that’s based in the south of France,” he added.
Moreover, according to Captain Alexandre, there will be a woman pilot in the French Air Force who will fly the Airbus.
“The Indian Army is a partner of the French Army because we do a lot of exercises together each year. The last one with the Air Force was Garuda. It’s a long collaboration and that’s why it’s important for us to be here,” he said.
Meanwhile, Captain Louis, who will be leading the French contingent, said that the partnership between India and France can be strengthened, as it happened last year when the Indian detachment participated in Bastille Day.
“I would say the partnerships concerning our two countries can be strengthened, as we did last year when the Indian detachment came for Bastille Day,” he said.
A 241-member tri-service Indian armed forces contingent led by a military band participated in the Bastille Day Parade in July 2023 to mark the 25th anniversary of the India-France Strategic Partnership.
French President Emmanuel Macron, who has been invited as the chief guest for Republic Day arrived in Jaipur for a two-day State visit to India at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This will be the sixth occasion when a French leader will be the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations.
Upon Macron’s arrival at the Jaipur International Airport, he was received by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.
Macron’s visit caps the 25th-anniversary celebrations of the India-France Strategic Partnership.
PM Modi said that it is a matter of great pride that the French President will be taking part in the 75th Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi on Friday.
