French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Jaipur, receives warm welcome from PM Modi

PM Modi with Emmanuel Macron at the Jantar Mantar in Jaipur. Pic/PTI

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday arrived at Jantar Mantar in Pink City, Jaipur, on Thursday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was pictured extending him a warm welcome at Jantar Mantar. Macron will be the chief guest at the 75th Republic Day function in the national capital on Friday.

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The two leaders warmly greeted each other and posed for the cameras. They then headed to see Jantar Mantar.

Jantar Mantar is a famous solar observatory established by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh. It has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in July 2010.

Earlier, Macron arrived at Amber Fort in Rajasthan's Jaipur. He also met school students who gathered there to welcome him.

On his visit to the fort, the French President was accompanied by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Rajasthan Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari. At the fort, Macron also posed for a picture with Jaishankar and Diya Kumari.

As the French President walked around the Royal fort and took in the unique architecture, he was also given an overview of the history the fort carries. Macron appreciated Rajasthani painting and art and also interacted with artists at Amber Fort.

Macron's state visit marks France's sixth participation, the highest of any other nation, as chief guest on India's Republic Day.

Furthermore, it comes months after PM Modi's Paris trip on France's Bastille Day on July 14, last year. The French President arrived in Jaipur earlier today as part of his two-day state visit to India.

Upon his arrival at the Jaipur International Airport, he was received by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra and Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma.

Prime Minister Modi had extended an invitation to the French president to be the chief guest at Republic Day celebrations. His visit caps the 25th-anniversary celebrations of the India-France Strategic Partnership.

The pink city has been decked up with posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Macron. Later in the evening, he will visit Hawa Mahal, following which PM Modi and the French president will hold a bilateral meeting at Taj Rambagh Palace.

A French armed forces contingent is participating in the Republic Day parade and flypast alongside Indian troops and aviators. Later on January 26, President Macron will attend the Republic Day parade as the chief guest.

"He will attend the At Home reception at Rashtrapati Bhavan and, later, the State Banquet, at the invitation of the Hon'ble President of India, H.E. Smt Droupadi Murmu," the statement stated.

Macron is being accompanied by a ministerial delegation comprising Stephane Sejourne (Europe and Foreign Affairs), Sebastien Lecornu (Armed Forces), and Rachida Dati (culture); a C-level business delegation of French majors, SMEs and mid-caps; and other eminent personalities, including ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet.

Macron's visit will consolidate the ambitious renewal of the France-India strategic partnership that the two leaders decided on in Paris on July 14 through the "Horizon 2047 Roadmap".

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