New Delhi: A successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday, after witnessing the 77th Republic-Day celebrations at the majestic Kartavya Path here, a day ahead of the India-EU summit. Von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa attended the Republic-Day parade as chief guests, joining a select group of global leaders to have graced the country's biggest ceremonial event in the last seven decades.
President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, several other Union ministers, the country's top military brass, foreign diplomats and senior officials were among the spectators. "It is the honor of a lifetime to be Chief Guests at the Republic Day celebrations. A successful India makes the world more stable, prosperous and secure. And we all benefit," Von der Leyen said on social media after the ceremony. It was the first time that two top leaders of the European Union (EU) attended India's Republic-Day celebrations as chief guests. Costa and von der Leyen, accompanied by a high-powered delegation, will hold summit talks with Modi on Tuesday.
A small EU military contingent, led by Colonel Frederik Simon Spruijt, also participated in the Republic-Day parade. At the parade, India displayed its military might that included elite marching contingents, missiles and indigenous weapon systems. Every year, India invites world leaders to attend its Republic-Day celebrations.
Last year, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto was the chief guest, while French President Emmanuel Macron graced the occasion in 2024 and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in 2023. There was no Republic-Day chief guest in 2021 and 2022 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, then Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was the chief guest at the event. In 2019, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was the chief guest at the Republic-Day parade, while in 2018, the leaders of all 10 ASEAN countries attended the celebrations. In 2017, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was the chief guest at the celebrations, while then French President Francois Hollande graced the occasion in 2016. In 2015, then US President Barack Obama watched the parade as the chief guest. The previous year, then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was the chief guest at the celebrations, while Bhutan king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck attended the parade in 2013. The heads of states and governments who have attended the Republic-Day celebrations also include Nicolas Sarkozy, Vladimir Putin, Nelson Mandela, John Major, Mohammed Khatami and Jacques Chirac.
The then British Prime Minister Major attended the celebrations in 1993, Mandela participated as the then South African President in 1995, while South Korean President Lee Myung Bak witnessed the parade in 2010. In 2008, Sarkozy participated in the celebrations as the French president, while another French president, Jacques Chirac, graced the occasion in 1998. Other world leaders who have attended the celebrations include Nepal's King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev in 1999, Iran's the then President Khatami in 2003, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in 2011 and the President of the Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, in 1991.