French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday thanked India for its warm welcome during his visit as the chief guest for Republic Day celebrations. He also invited the people of India to visit France for a host of major events this year, including the Summer Olympics starting July 26.

“Thank you, India, for your warm welcome in Jaïpur and Delhi,” Macron said in a social media post.

“France will welcome the whole world this year with the commemoration of the Second World war, the Olympic and Paralympic games in Paris and the Francophonie summit. You are welcome, our friends!” he added.

On Friday evening, Macron along with external affairs minister S Jaishankar visited Delhi’s Dargah Nizamuddin Aulia, the mausoleum of the Sufi saint Khwaja Nizamuddin Aulia. He reached the centuries-old shrine, the nerve centre of Sufi culture in India, at 9.45 pm and remained there for more than half an hour, reported PTI quoting officials.

Videos of his visit to the Dargah were widely shared on social media.

Macron was the chief guest at the 75th Republic Day celebrations at Delhi’s Kartavya Path.

Earlier, President Droupadi Murmu received her French counterpart Macron at the Rashtrapati Bhavan and hosted a banquet in his honour.

Welcoming President Macron, she said the leaders of the two countries being guests of honour in each other’s successive National Day parade and celebrations, is a historic moment, and “a symbol of the depth of our friendship and the strength of our partnership”.

During his visit to Jaipur, Macron and Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed bilateral ties and pressing global issues wherein they expressed “grave concerns” at the possibility of further expansion of the conflict in the Middle East, including in the Red Sea.

A joint statement issued late on Friday night said the two leaders called for upholding the freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and underlined the need for respecting the international law of the sea.

“They (Modi and Macron) recalled the utmost importance of upholding freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and of respecting the international law of the sea,” the statement said.

“They had detailed conversation aimed at coordinating their efforts in that region in this regard,” it added.