Narendra Modi, Macron’s coveted yet embarrassing ally – Technologist

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was the guest of honor at the July 14 celebrations in Paris in 2023, is preparing to welcome Emmanuel Macron to New Delhi on Friday, January 26, for Republic Day, India’s national holiday. The French president is due to take part in the traditional military parade marking the entry into force of the Constitution in 1950, three years after independence. The day before, he will visit Jaipur, a cultural and historical jewel and capital of the largest state in the federation, Rajasthan.

For this occasion, Macron has agreed to play the role of substitute, as Joe Biden was initially asked to be the guest of honor at Republic Day. But the American president declined Modi’s invitation in December 2023, a response interpreted as a sign of disapproval after the attempted assassination of a Sikh separatist militant on American soil, which the US attributed to Indian intelligence services.

This incident alone reveals India’s troubled position on the international stage. Modi is both a friend and a critic of the West; a guest of the G7 and a champion of the so-called Global South; a partner of the US and France in the Indo-Pacific against China, and a long-standing ally of Russia, its leading arms supplier.

Ignoring the contradictions of this “multi-alignment” strategy, the French president, since the beginning of his term, has liked to display – and indeed often overplay – his closeness to the Hindu nationalist leader. And Modi appreciates more than anything else the ostentatious embraces with the world’s greats, believing they give Indians the sense of pride of a nation regaining its standing.

Defense and space cooperation

During his two-day visit, Macron’s third to India, he is scheduled to meet with Modi at least five times. “Relations are very strong and constant,” insisted the Indian side. “The idea is to further strengthen the strategic partnership between our two countries,” added the Elysée. This partnership was launched by Jacques Chirac on January 26, 1998.

Before the military parade, the Indian head of state and his French counterpart will meet in Jaipur on Thursday for bilateral talks. They will visit the majestic Amber Fort, one of the city’s landmarks. They will then parade toward the Palace of the Winds, before dining in a grand hotel. The French president will be accompanied by his ministers of culture, Rachida Dati, the armed forces, Sébastien Lecornu, and the new head of French diplomacy, Stéphane Séjourné.

Macron is making a point of courting one of the leading figures in the emerging world, a founding member of the BRICS, along with Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa. On July 14, 2023, Macron rolled out the red carpet for Modi, receiving him in style at a state dinner at the Louvre, and promoting him to the rank of Grand-Croix de la Légion d’Honneur. The visit culminated in the announcement of the purchase of 26 Rafale Marine fighter jets, still under negotiation, and three French submarines.

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