French President Emmanuel Macron plans state visit to Germany

French President Emmanuel Macron.

On May 8, the offices of the presidents of Germany and France announced that French President Emmanuel Macron will make his first state visit to Germany next July, amid increasingly somber relations between the two leading European countries.

According to the German Presidential Office, President Macron will visit Germany from July 2-4 at the invitation of host country President Frank-Walter Steinmeier "to promote the close friendship between the two countries on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Elysee Treaty" on bilateral relations.

The announcement stressed that the visit marks the beginning of a new chapter in the decades-long friendship between Berlin and Paris.

Meanwhile, the French President's Office said German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock will arrive in Paris this week to prepare for Mr Macron's visit to Germany.

Ms. Baerbock is scheduled to meet her French counterpart on May 9 and attend a meeting of the French cabinet at the Elysee Palace on May 10.

According to the announcement, on June 6, President Macron is expected to meet with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Potsdam to prepare for a series of upcoming events, including the European Union (EU) summit in late June and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in July.

The French President's Office also announced a meeting between the two countries' leaders this fall to promote bilateral cooperation.

France and Germany signed the 1963 Elysee Treaty on post-World War II bilateral cooperation in all areas, from military cooperation to youth exchanges.

Since then, France and Germany have often cooperated, creating the basis for common European responses in times of crisis.

However, the historic partnership is being overshadowed by differences on a range of issues, including energy and approaches to the crisis in Ukraine./.

According to VNA

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