Macron to host Biden for state visit after D-Day commemoration
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Soldiers attend a ceremony dedicating a new monument to US navy and army units that stormed Omaha Beach during the D-Day landings in 1944.
PHOTO: AFP
Follow topic:
PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron will next week host US President Joe Biden for his first state visit to France after both leaders attend commemorations for the World War II D-Day landings, the Elysee Palace said on May 30.
Mr Biden’s visit on June 8 for talks with Mr Macron in Paris will come after the June 6 ceremony in Normandy marking 80 years since the D-Day landings.
In a separate statement, the White House said Mr Biden would be in France from June 5 to 9.
On June 6, Mr Biden will speak and participate in ceremonies with his wife, Dr Jill Biden, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy, “which paved the way for the liberation of France and Europe”, the White House said in the statement.
“Seventy three thousand brave Americans landed at Utah and Omaha beaches in Normandy on June 6, 1944, and the president will greet American veterans and their family members while in France to honour their sacrifice,” the statement added.
On June 7, Mr Biden will give a speech at Pointe du Hoc – a clifftop promontory whose German bunkers were attacked by US troops in a daring assault during the landings – “about the importance of defending freedom and democracy”, the White House said.
The state visit on June 8 will “reflect the enduring and comprehensive relationship between the United States and France, our oldest ally, founded on shared democratic values, economic ties, and defence and security cooperation.”
The two presidents will discuss a wide range of “global challenges” and bilateral issues, Washington said.
Mr Macron’s office said, for its part, that the two presidents would discuss “the unfailing and long-term support” for Ukraine.
About a million people are expected to attend the D-Day commemorations in France, including King Charles III and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. AFP
