PARIS (AFP) – Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour during France’s Bastille Day celebrations yesterday, which took place under tight security two weeks after riots swept the country.
Around 45,000 police have deployed nationwide in the evening while firework sales have been banned as the government aims to prevent a repeat of the urban violence seen at the end of June following the police killing of a teenager.
The annual Bastille Day festivities, which mark the storming of the Bastille prison at the start of the French Revolution in 1789, kicked off with a traditional military parade in the morning that saw tanks, planes and soldiers sweep down the Champs Elysees.
Ahead of the ceremony, French President Emmanuel Macron awarded Modi the grand cross of the Legion of Honour, the country’s top order of merit, which Modi hailed as an honour for the 1.4 billion residents of India.
It was granted to salute the role of the prime minister in the excellent relations of friendship and confidence that unite France and India, the President’s Office said in a statement. The wooing of Modi this year reflects deepening ties between France and India, which are marking 25 years of strategic partnership.
The Indian defence ministry on Thursday announced its intention to procure another 26 French-made Rafale fighter jets as well as three more Scorpene-class submarines in a deal expected to be worth billions of euros.
India has already purchased 36 Rafales, three of which flew over Paris during yesterday’s parade.
Macron’s red carpet welcome comes weeks after Modi was given the rare honour of a White House state dinner in Washington – a city he was once banned from visiting.
The French president told a meeting of military leaders on Thursday evening that India was a giant of world history which will have a decisive role for our future.
Bastille Day is set to be a more sober affair than in previous years following five nights of rioting from June 27 after the fatal police shooting of a teenager in a Paris suburb.
