No Modi At Queen's Funeral, But Biden And Naruhito Will Attend
India's President Droupadi Murmu will represent India at Queen Elizabeth II's funeral in Westminster Abbey, UK
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India's president will attend the Queen's funeral on Monday, which means Narendra Modi, India's Prime Minister, will not be among the hundreds of foreign leaders who are scheduled to attend the global event on Monday, 19 September.
About a quarter of the 2,000 seats at Westminster Abbey have been reserved for heads of state and their partners, including Joe Biden, Emmanuel Macron, and Naruhito, the emperor of Japan.
The UK sent out invitations to heads of state of almost every country, thus, Droupadi Murmu was invited by protocol. She is the first person from India's tribal communities to hold the role of the president, as reported by The Guardian.
When Modi learned about Queen Elizabeth II's death last week, he called the newly elected Prime Minister of UK, Liz Truss, on Saturday to express his condolences.
However, on Thursday, September 8, hours prior to the Queen's final illness was known, Modi urged India to "shed its colonial ties" in a speech during a ceremony to rename a street that was once named after George V.
On Wednesday, Turkey announced that the country would be represented by Mevlüt Çavusoglu, the Foreign Minister of Turkey and not the president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The presence of world leaders at a state funeral make it a diplomatic opportunity for the UK and a nation united in mourning portrays a more positive and sombre image.
Other leaders who are set to attend include Canada's prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and New Zealand's Jacinda Arden. Additionally, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen and monarchs from Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands will be in attendance.
Moreover, Britain has not invited representatives of some countries over political differences. Rulers from neither Syria, Venezuela, not Afghanistan's Taliban had been invited.
(With inputs from The Guardian)
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