France Invites PM Modi as Guest of Honour on Bastille Day

French President Emmanuel Macron has invited PM Modi as the Guest of Honour on France’s Bastille Day, which falls on July 14. While this invitation is a sign of respect and friendship for any state leader, Modi’s visit to France will be aimed at deepening the bilateral ties with France. This year also coincidentally marks twenty-five years of the two countries’ strategic ties, which have shown tremendous potential in the last few years. There will be many aspects that the two leaders will be focusing on during this visit.

After PM Modi took over, India purchased 36 Rafale fighter jets from France which made it a major defence deal between the two countries. There have been many speculations about India likely purchasing more Rafale jets from France to strengthen Indian Air Force, which has publicly stated that it is not well-equipped to fight a two-frontal war with China and Pakistan. While India is working with the United States to create its own line of modern fighter jets, India may be looking to procure more Rafale jets to meet IAF’s current needs. However, these bilateral ties extend beyond defence, which is visible in the International Solar Alliance that the two countries jointly created to fight climate change. Major trade agreements are also expected to take place between the two nations, whose announcements will be made around the time of the visit.

Image source: PTI