Obama 'excited' to be first US prez at R-Day celebrations: Kerry

Barack Obama is "very excited" that he will be the first United States President to be honoured as the chief guest at India's Republic Day celebrations, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday.

Speaking at the 7th Vibrant Gujarat Summit in Gandhinagar, he said, "President Obama is very excited and particularly pleased with the fact that he will be the first US president to be honoured as the chief guest on Republic Day commemoration."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had invited the US president to be the chief guest at this year's Republic Day celebrations on January 26. Obama accepted the invitation in signs of expanding ties between the two nations.

"And he will the first sitting US President to visit India twice while in office," Kerry said. "Let me make it clear we believe in values that both countries share."

 India traditionally invites a head of state to participate as chief guest at Republic Day celebrations that culminates in a military parade. Last year's chief guest was the then Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Modi met Obama on his visit to the United States in September and they have spoken on telephone since then. Obama, who had visited India in 2010, would also be the first US President to visit the country twice while in office.

Talking about the terror attacks in Paris, Kerry said no act of terror will ever stop "the march of freedom" and the entire world is with the people of France.

In the deadliest terror attack in France in four decades, heavily-armed gunmen stormed a satirical newspaper's office in Paris on January 7 and shot dead at least 12 people.

"We may have come from different walks of life. But we stand together this (Sunday) morning with the people of France as a marching tribute to the victims of last week's murderous attack on the headquarters of satirical weekly Charle Hebdo.

"We stand together in freedom and together we make it clear that no act of terror will ever stop the march of freedom."

The entire world stand together not just in "anger and outrage" but in "solidarity and commitment" to the cause of confronting extremism, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also denounced the attack in Paris terming it as "condemnable and despicable" act, and said India's solidarity was with the people of France. 

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