French President Emmanuel Macron will be the guest of honor at India's Republic Day celebrations

India has invited French President Emmanuel Macron to be the chief guest at the country’s national day celebrations next month. Macron's office on Friday described the invite as a powerful gesture for the two nations' ties. The visit for Republic Day on Jan. 26 will be Macron’s third to India as president. The event marks the 74th anniversary of the adoption of India’s Constitution on Jan. 26, 1950, nearly three years after it won independence from British colonial rule. India’s official guest in January 2023 was Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sissi.