President of the European Council António Luís Santos da Costa and the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will be Chief Guests at the 77th Republic Day celebrations at Kartavyapath on 26th January. At the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, both leaders will be on a three-day State Visit to India from 25th January.

During the visit, the leaders will also co-chair the 16th India-EU Summit on the 27th of this month. President Costa and President von der Leyen will meet President Droupadi Murmu and hold restricted and delegation-level talks with Prime Minister Modi. An India-EU Business Forum is also expected to be organised on the sidelines of the India-EU Summit.

The Ministry of External Affairs said India and the European Union have been strategic partners since 2004. The 15th India-EU Summit was held virtually on 15 July 2020. Bilateral ties have expanded and deepened across a wide range of areas, particularly following the historic visit of the EU College of Commissioners to India in February last year. MEA said the participation of EU leaders as Chief Guests at the 77th Republic Day and the 16th India-EU Summit will further deepen the India-EU Strategic Partnership and advance collaboration in priority areas of mutual interest.