French President Emmanuel Macron’s diplomatic advisor Emmanuel Bonne met external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Friday to discuss bilateral relations a fortnight ahead of the leader’s visit to India to participate in the Republic Day celebrations.

“Glad to meet Emmanuel Bonne, Diplomatic Advisor to President of France. Spoke about strong India-France convergence on multiple issues. Also shared perspectives on global developments of mutual concern,” Jaishankar said in a post on X.

“Look forward to President @EmmanuelMacron’s State visit for #RepublicDay2024,” he said.

Bonne is visiting New Delhi as part of the preparations for the trip by Macron, who will be the chief guest for the Republic Day on January 26.

In a separate post, Jaishankar congratulated Stephane Sejourne on being named Frances’s new foreign minister, succeeding Catherine Colonna.

“Congratulations @steph_sejourne on your appointment as the Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs of the French Republic,” he wrote.

“Looking forward to working with you for further strengthening our strategic partnership and realising goals set by our leaders,” Jaishankar added.

Macron was invited to be the chief guest at the Republic Day celebrations after US President Joe Biden was unable to accept amid his busy schedule. The move also reflected the strong strategic ties between India and France, especially in defence, security, civilian nuclear cooperation and emerging technologies.

The Indian government last year approved the purchase of 26 naval variants of the Rafale combat jet from France. This will build on the earlier acquisition of 36 Rafale jets for the Indian Air Force.

Some important agreements are expected to be unveiled during Macron’s India visit.

Besides cooperating in the joint development of defence hardware, including for supply to third countries, India and France have also stepped up collaboration on maritime security in the Indian Ocean.