Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was guest of honour during France's Bastille Day celebrations on Friday, which are taking place under tight security two weeks after riots swept the country.
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.
Some 6,500 people marched, 94 planes and helicopters flew over, 219 ground vehicles, 200 horses and 86 dogs also took part.
Russia's war in Ukraine – central to last year’s Bastille Day celebrations – echoed in this year’s events as well.
Vehicles on display included the Caesar anti-missile batteries that France is providing to Ukraine, and Ukrainian officials were invited to join President Macron in the VIP seats.
The guest of honour this year is India.
Ahead of the ceremony, French President Emmanuel Macron awarded Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi the grand cross of the Legion of Honour, the country's top order of merit, which he hailed as "an honour for the 1.4 billion residents of India".
The cross 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.
Vive le #14Juillet 🇫🇷. Belle fête nationale . Vive la #France 🇫🇷. pic.twitter.com/C33BT9LgZ6
— Pascal Drouhaud (@PascalDrouhaud) July 14, 2023
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 buy 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 Friday's parade.
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".
Heightened security
Bastille Day is set to be a more sober affair than in previous years following nights of rioting that began on 27 June after the fatal police shooting of a teenager in a Paris suburb.
Around 45,000 police are set to be deployed nationwide on Friday evening while firework sales have been banned as the government aims to prevent a repeat of that urban violence.
Some towns have cancelled their traditional firework displays out of fear of unrest, and buses and trams are to stop running in the Paris region from 10:00 pm.
Security forces were deployed en masse on Thursday night which had been "relatively calm", the interior ministry said.
The main Paris fireworks display is set to go ahead on Friday evening and will be watched by Macron and Modi after they attend a banquet with 200 guests at the Louvre Museum.
(with AFP)
