Subhechcha Ganguly 
On the first day of his two-day trip to France, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was treated as a guest of honour and had discussions about significant new defence agreements. The Hindu nationalist leader received a red-carpet greeting by French President Emmanuel Macron just weeks after receiving the uncommon honour of attending a White House state dinner in Washington, a city he was formerly forbidden from visiting.
With Indian troops and fighter jets produced in France flying above India, President Macron has invited Prime Minister Modi to attend the military parade on July 14 to inaugurate France’s national day celebrations. This highlights the two countries’ strong defence ties. French and Indian soldiers will participate in the parade, which will be held in Paris and march down the renowned Champs-Elysees boulevard.Modi announced a historic contract for 36 Rafale fighter jets during a trip to Paris in 2015, which at the time was valued at about 4.0 billion euros ($4.24 billion). India is one of the major consumers of French weapons.
