India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the guest of honour at France's Bastille Day celebrations on Friday as the two countries marked a quarter of a century of close ties.
The two-day visit included a banquet at the Louvre, Indian troops marching down the Champs-Elysees and a speech by Mr Modi to Indians from across Europe.
Mr Modi was warmly welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron ahead of the festivities, which mark the storming of Bastille prison at the start of the French Revolution.
Earlier, Mr Macron awarded Mr Modi the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour, the country's top order of merit. Mr Modi hailed it as “an honour for the 1.4 billion residents of India”.
The celebrations kicked off with a traditional military parade in the morning that had tanks, planes and soldiers sweeping down the Champs Elysees.
The Indian Prime Minister's two-day visit has attracted a high degree of fanfare, marking 25 years of a strategic partnership between the two countries and reflects India's growing strategic and military might.
France has been one of India's closest partners in Europe for decades. It was the only western nation to not impose sanctions on New Delhi after India conducted nuclear tests in 1998.
India's decision to buy 26 French-made Rafael jets and three more Scorpene-class submarines in a deal expected to be worth billions of euros had previously been announced the country's defence ministry.
The total value of the purchases is expected to be around 800 billion rupees ($9.75 billion), according to reports. India has already purchased 36 Rafale jets, three of which flew over Paris during the parade.
Bastille Day parade – in pictures
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French President Emmanuel Macron greets Republican Guard cavalry officers at the Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 14. AFP -
Mr Macron greets India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. AFP -
The French Air Force elite acrobatic flying team performs in formation. AFP -
Indian Air Force troops march. AFP -
Mr Macron stands in the command car at the Arc de Triomphe. EPA -
Punjab Regiment soldiers march during the parade. AFP -
The Patrouille de France team flies over the Louvre. AFP -
French troops prepare ahead of the parade. AFP
“We were able to all see a marvellous image of our co-operation on sea, land and in the skies,” Mr Modi said.
The timing of the festivities comes at a sensitive time for France after major cities were gripped by widespread rioting and looting across the country, triggered by a fatal police shooting of a 17-year-old.
A large police presence has been deployed to prevent further unrest. Some towns have cancelled their traditional firework displays out of fear of violence, and buses and trams are to stop running in the Paris region later in the evening.
Despite differences over the war in Ukraine and concerns over human rights in India, western democracies are courting India as a military and economic counterweight to China.
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”.
He later tweeted in Hindi, saying that France would never forget the Indian soldiers who died in the First World War alongside French troops.
The main Paris fireworks display is set to go ahead on Friday evening and will be watched by Mr Macron and Mr Modi after they attend a banquet with 200 guests at the Louvre Museum.
During a press conference, Mr Modi said defence co-operation was a key pillar of Franco-Indian relations and that the two nations would discuss possibilities for co-production as part of efforts to deepen ties.
Mr Modi also told reporters that the countries had prepared a plan to work together in areas including space and nuclear energy.
Mr Macron referred to a “convergence” between France and India 25 years after they first signed a strategic partnership deal.
“We defend the same idea together of the Indo-Pacific, a space that must remain open and free of all hegemonic power,” he said during the press conference with Mr Modi, in a veiled reference to Beijing.
The trip comes less than a month after US President Joe Biden hosted Mr Modi on a state visit, during which Washington offered critical military technology, including fighter jet engines and high altitude drones, to New Delhi.
Mr Macron has treated only a few global leaders to the Bastille Day military parade.
He invited Donald Trump to the 2017 celebrations, and the former US president was so impressed by the French march-past that he asked Pentagon officials to explore a similar parade in celebration of American troops.
