No foreign chief guest for Republic Day parade due to COVID-19: MEA

The ministry of external affairs on Thursday said that this year there will not be any foreign head of state or government as the chief guest for our Republic Day event in view of the Covid-19 situation.

It will be for the first time in over five decades that India will not have a chief guest at the Republic Day parade.

"Due to the global COVID 19 situation, it has been decided that this year there will not be a foreign head of state or head of government as the chief guest for our Republic Day event," MEA Spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said at a media briefing.

India had invited Johnson as the Republic Day chief guest and he accepted India's invitation, calling it "a great honour"

However, earlier this month, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was to be the chief guest at this year's Republic Day parade in New Delhi, had cancelled his visit to India hours after he had announced a fresh lockdown in the United Kingdom over the new strain of coronavirus.

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