Prime Minister Narendra Modi has invited US President Joe Biden to the celebrations on January 26 (Republic Day). US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti gave this information on Wednesday (September 20).
He said that during the bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Delhi, PM Modi had invited the US President to be the chief guest. Garcetti indicated he was unaware of whether a Quad summit was being planned in India around the same time.
India Will Host Quad Summit
Quad includes India, America, Japan, and Australia. Next year, it is India’s turn to host the annual Quad summit. There is talk that India is considering inviting leaders of Quad countries to attend the Republic Day celebrations.
Leaders From All Over The World Are Invited
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi was the chief guest at this year’s Republic Day celebrations. Every year, India invites world leaders to attend its Republic Day celebrations. Given the COVID-19 pandemic, no chief guest was on Republic Day in 2021 and 2022.
This Leader Has Also Been The Chief Guest
Earlier in 2020, the then-President of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, was the chief guest. In 2019, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, while in 2018, the leaders of all 10 ASEAN countries participated in the ceremony. In 2017, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, was the ceremony’s chief guest; in 2016, then-French President Hollande graced the occasion.
The then US President Barack Obama had witnessed the parade in 2015. In 2014, then-Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the chief guest at the ceremony, while Bhutan’s King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck participated in the parade in 2013. Other heads of state and government who participated in the Republic Day celebrations include Nicolas Sarkozy, Vladimir Putin, and Nelson Mandela.
