India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the guest of honor alongside French President Emmanuel Macron at today's Bastille Day parade in Paris, signaling the importance France places on India as a strategic ally in Asia.
Representatives of India's armed forces will feature in the French national day festivities, which occur during a two-day visit by Modi, ahead of him welcoming G20 leaders to the Indian capital New Dehli for a summit in September.
Hinting at what might be on the agenda for discussions between the two leaders, a statement issued by Modi's office before his departure said how the countries "cooperate closely across various domains including defense, space, civil nuclear, blue economy, trade, investment, education, culture and people to people ties. We also work together on regional and global issues."
Reports in India have suggested a deal for two dozen French-built Rafale-Marine jets could be signed during the visit. These are specially designed for use on aircraft carriers, a type of ship of which India currently has two in service.
The Indian navy already has 36 Rafale jets, and it is reported that India could also order three more Scorpene attack submarines, in addition to the six it has bought previously, with the strengthening of a partnership working on army helicopters also thought to be likely.
"You can imagine that Modi would not come to Paris for nothing," observed French senator Christian Cambon.
The Indian Ocean region is of particular strategic significance to France, as it has two overseas departments in the area, home to more than one million French citizens, and its military already cooperates locally with Indian forces.
Macron will be particularly desperate for such a high-profile day to pass without incident, after weeks of violent unrest across France following the shooting dead of a teenager by a police officer at a traffic stop. As a result of the trouble, the sale of fireworks has been banned across the country for what is traditionally a major day of national celebration.
India has elections coming up next year, so for Modi, a second prestigious international engagement in as many months, following June's trip to Washington where he addressed the United States Congress, will be a publicity coup.
"It's great that India is being courted by all the great powers, and it's also true that Modi will use it to further his domestic agenda," Raji Rajagopalan, director of the Centre for Security, Strategy and Technology at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, told the Financial Times newspaper.
"With the 2024 election coming up, this visit will be used to say how well India is respected in the world."
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