Republic Day: India showcases military might

NEW DELHI, Saturday (AFP) - French President Nicolas Sarkozy was guest of honour today at India's Republic Day parade as New Delhi showcased its latest military hardware including nuclear-capable missiles.

Indian President Pratibha Patil, left, welcomes French President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi. (AP)

Soldiers marched down the central avenue of the British Raj-built capital to the sound of military bagpipes as Sarkozy, Premier Manmohan Singh and India's first woman president, Pratibha Patil, gazed on from behind bullet-proof glass. Tight security surrounded the annual parade, which highlights India's military might, technological prowess and cultural diversity and marks its proclamation as a republic in 1950 -- three years after it won independence from British rule.

The two nations signed a pact on nuclear power cooperation to go into effect as soon as New Delhi is allowed to enter the global civilian atomic energy market. Patil, 72, in a speech ahead of the celebrations, highlighted India's new-found economic muscle on the back of a blistering nine-percent growth rate, and sought closer ties with the international community.

“The impressive strides of the Indian economy have resulted in the emergence of India as a powerful player in the global economy,” the 72-year-old president said. “India is committed to establish(ing) ties of friendship and cooperation with all countries, and India's engagement with the world is intensifying both in the economic and political fields,” she said.