Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been invited as the Guest of Honour for France’s national day celebrations this year. Bastille Day is observed on July 14th every year.
The prestigious invitation makes PM Modi only the second Indian Prime Minister, after Manmohan Singh, to receive this honour at the celebrated parade held on the iconic Champs Elysees in Paris.
This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between India and France. To commemorate this significant milestone, a contingent of the Indian armed forces will join their French counterparts in the Bastille Day Parade, showcasing the strong bond between the two nations.
Among the numerous strategic partnerships India has formed, the one with France holds special significance as it was the country’s first-ever such agreement signed in January 1998.
Just months later, India conducted the Pokhran II nuclear tests. While many nations contemplated imposing sanctions, France stood out by refraining from such actions. In fact, the then President Jacques Chirac himself sought to facilitate India’s integration into the global nuclear framework.
France demonstrated its proactive approach by being the first major power to engage in dialogue with India during this critical period. The then Indian PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, in an effort to clarify India’s rationale behind the nuclear tests, sent his Principal Secretary Brajesh Mishra, as a special envoy to France.
During their meeting, French President, deviating from the French convention of not working on Sundays, had taken a stroll with Mishra in the gardens of the Elysee Palace and candidly asked: “What took you so long?”
