Republic Day 2019: Take a look at the chief guests over the past decade

SUMMARY

With pride and fervor, India will be celebrating its 70th Republic Day tomorrow and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa will grace the occasion as the chief guest. Each year, the Indian government invites a head of state as the chief guest for the Republic Day parade and the visit is considered similar to a state visit, the highest honour that can be accorded to the guest in protocol terms. The chief guest is given a ceremonial guard of honour at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the official residence of the President of India, followed by a reception in the evening hosted by the President. The chief guest then lays a wreath at the Rajghat, the resting place of Mahatma Gandhi and a banquet is hosted in his honour followed by a lunch hosted by the Prime Minister. The highlight of the occasion is, of course, the chief guest accompanying the President, who is flanked by the horse-mounted President’s Bodyguards, to the saluting base on the Rajpath. The occasion reflects the friendship between two nations, represented by the President of India and the chief guest. Take a look at the Chief Guests who were invited for the Republic Day Celebrations in the country over the past 10 years.

By CNBC-TV18Jan 25, 2019 8:20:35 PM IST (Updated)

1. Nursultan Nazarbayev: The President of Kazakhastan was the chief guest at the 60th Republic Day celebrations in 2009. India and Kazakhastan seek to develop an extensive commercial and strategic partnership in the Central Asia region.

2. Lee Myung-bak: The former President of South Korea graced the 61st Republic Day celebrations in 2010. Apart from sharing diplomatic relations with South Korea, several South Korean companies and industries also invest in India.

3. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono: The former President of Indonesia was invited as the chief guest for the 62nd Republic Day celebrations in 2011.

4. Yingluck Shinawatra: The former Thailand Prime Minister garnered the 63rd Republic Day delebrations in 2012.

5. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck: The Emperor of Bhutan graced the 64th Republic Day celebrations in 2013. India and Bhutan share a 'special relationship; making Bhutan a protected state of India.

6. Shinzo Abe: The Prime Minister of Japan graced the 65th Republic Day celebrations in 2014. India–Japan relations have traditionally been strong. The people of India and Japan have engaged in cultural exchanges, primarily as a result of Buddhism, which spread indirectly from India to Japan, via China and Korea.

7. Barack Obama: The former President of the United State of America was invited as the chief guest for the 66th Republic Day celebrations in 2015. India and the USA have cultivated strategic and military relationships with each other.

8. François Hollande: The former President of France was the chief guest at the 67th Republic Day celebrations in 2016. France and India relations have traditionally been close and friendly and both countries have a 'special relationship' with each other. Both nations have a centuries-old history of trade relations.

9. Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan: The Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (On Right) graced the 68th Republic Day celebrations in 2017. UAE and India enjoy historic ties with the most number of economic migrant workers of Indian origin residing in the oil-rich gulf state. Indians also make up the largest ethnic group in the UAE.

9. ASEAN state heads: Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited all the ASEAN country heads to attend the 69th Republic Day celebrations in 2018. The guest list included: Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei, Prime Minister of Cambodia Hun Sen, President of Indonesia Joko Widodo, Prime Minister of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith, Former Prime Minister of Malaysia Najib Razak, Prime Minister of Myanmar Aung San Suu Kyi, President of Philippines Rodrigo Duterte, Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong, Prime Minister of Vietnam Nguyễn Xuân Phúc and the Prime Minister of Thailand Prayut Chan-o-cha.

10. Cyril Ramaphosa: The President of South Africa will be the chief guest at the 70th Republic Day celebrations in 2019. South Africa and India are the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) countries who have dealt with colonisation and apartheid. This year also commemorates the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi who was significant in fighting oppression by the British in both the countries.