French President Emmanuel Macron gave Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi - his visitor of honour on the Bastille Day celebrations in Paris - the crimson carpet remedy, as the 2 international locations sealed high-profile defence offers.

The annual festivities - which mark the storming of the Bastille jail at the beginning of the French revolution in 1789 - kicked off with French and Indian troopers marching down the tree-lined Champs-Elysees, whereas French-made Rafale fighter jets India purchased in 2015 took half in a flypast over the Arc de Triomphe.

It comes after India deepened its defence ties with France, agreeing to 2 huge defence contracts - preliminary approval to purchase an additional 26 Rafale jets for its navy and three Scorpene class submarines.

Mr Modi arrived in France for a two-day go to on Thursday when he was granted the Legion of Honour, France's highest award.

"(India) is a giant in the history of the world which will have a determining role in our future," Mr Macron informed a gathering of army leaders. "It is also a strategic partner and a friend."

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Mr Modi was additionally because of attend a lavish banquet on the Louvre Museum with the French president later - weeks after the Indian PM was given the uncommon honour of a White House state dinner in Washington after the US lifted a decade-old visa ban on him.

However, his two-day go to acquired beneath manner because the European Parliament criticised his human rights file amid accusations of discrimination towards minorities.

EU parliamentarians on Thursday authorized a movement urging India to finish violence within the northeastern Manipur state and to guard minorities there.

It criticised the "nationalistic rhetoric" of the native state authorities, run by Mr Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Mr Modi's crimson carpet remedy on Bastille Day is "an affront not only to India's minority communities, journalists and human rights defenders, but also to India as a democracy," stated French MEP Pierre Larrouturou.

The French Ligue des Droits de l'Homme (LDH) rights group tweeted: "The LDH, concerned about India's authoritarian turn, denounces this invitation which sends a disastrous signal, negating our democratic values."

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In 2017, Mr Macron invited the then US President Donald Trump to the Bastille Day army parade.

This yr's celebrations are taking place under tight security, two weeks after riots erupted throughout the nation following the fatal police shooting of a teenager in Paris.

More than 100,000 law enforcement officials have been deployed across the nation to stop a brand new outbreak of unrest.

Mr Macron was criticised over his handling of the crisis, and confronted a backlash after attending an Elton John gig because the dysfunction took maintain.