France has accepted India’s invitation to President Francois Hollande to be chief guest at the Republic Day parade in 2016. The decision comes in the wake of the attacks in Paris following which world nations including India have rallied behind France.
French President Francois Hollande has appealed for a global coalition to destroy Islamic State in the wake of the attacks across Paris. The visit may also see breakthrough in key arms deals like the purchase of Rafale jets. Hollande’s predecessor Nicolas Sarkozy was Chief Guest at the Republic Day parade in 2008.
The announcement on the presence of Mr. Hollande during the Republic Day parade might have been finalised during the talks that French foreign minister Laurent Fabius had in Delhi on November 20. Though, Mr Fabius, one of the longest serving French diplomats, was in Delhi to discuss the climate conference, his discussions with his counterpart Sushma Swaraj and Prime Minister Modi in Delhi expectedly were overshadowed by the war on terror that France has declared following the terror strikes in Paris.
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Who became the first lady officer to lead the Inter-Service Guard of Honour which was inspected by US President Barack Obama at Rashtrapati Bhavan on January 26 2015?
