Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: India on Sunday marks its 77th Republic Day with ceremonial events to begin early morning at Kartavya Path, where the national flag will be unfurled by the PM and the annual parade will showcase the country’s military strength, cultural diversity and developmental journey.The celebrations will take place along the Kartavya Path stretch from Rashtrapati Bhavan to the National War Memorial, carrying the themes ‘Swatantrata ka Mantra: Vande Mataram’ and ‘Samriddhi ka Mantra: Aatmanirbhar Bharat’. This year’s parade also commemorates 150 years of Vande Mataram, the national song.Adding diplomatic significance to the celebrations, president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and president of the European Council Antonio Luís Santos da Costa are attending the Republic Day celebrations as chief guests. The two leaders are on a state visit to India from January 25 to 27 at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The parade will also feature a European Union contingent comprising four flag bearers on three gypsies, carrying the flag of the European Union, the EU military staff flag, and the flags of EU naval force Atalanta and EU naval force Aspides.
Ursula von der Leyen
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission, was born in 1958 and is a medical doctor by training. She has served in public office for over two decades and held several key ministerial portfolios in Germany between 2005 and 2019, including family and youth, labour and defence.She assumed office as president of the European Commission in 2019 and was re-elected for a second term in July 2024. In her current mandate, she is focused on strengthening Europe’s competitiveness, democratic institutions, and defence and security capabilities.Speaking recently, von der Leyen said, “Europe and India have chosen strategic partnership, dialogue and openness,” adding that the two sides are “building mutual resilience.”At the World Economic Forum in Davos, she said the European Union is close to finalising a free trade agreement with India. “There is still work to do. But we are on the cusp of a historic trade agreement. Some call it the mother of all deals. One that would create a market of 2 billion people, accounting for almost a quarter of global GDP,” she said.EU commissioner for Trade Maros Sefcovic has said that negotiations on the FTA are nearing conclusion. Foreign affairs expert Robinder Sachdev noted that the agreement has been under discussion for over two decades.
Antonio Luís Santos da Costa
Antonio Luís Santos da Costa, President of the European Council, was born in Lisbon in 1961 and is a senior Portuguese political leader. He comes from a family with Portuguese, Indian and Mozambican roots and holds a law degree from the University of Lisbon.Costa joined the Portuguese Socialist Party early in his career and went on to serve in several key roles, including minister for parliamentary affairs, minister for justice, member and vice-president of the European parliament, minister of state and minister for the interior, and mayor of Lisbon.He served as Prime Minister of Portugal from 2015 for nine years, during which the country saw stable economic growth, reduced unemployment, sound public finances and increased investment in renewable energy. He assumed office as president of the European Council in December 2024.
Strategic context
During the visit, India and the European Union are expected to unveil a security and defence strategic partnership. The agreement is set to be signed by EU high representative and vice-president Kaja Kallas and defence minister Rajnath Singh, making it only the third such comprehensive defence partnership the EU has signed in Asia, after Japan and the Republic of Korea.An EU official described the current phase of ties as a “culmination of remarkable intensifying relations,” noting that both sides now recognise that their security and prosperity are closely linked in a changing global environment.
