CNN —
US President Joe Biden is taking portion successful a flurry of events arsenic portion of his first authorities sojourn since taking office, welcoming the accomplishment of French President Emmanuel Macron and his spouse, Brigitte Macron, connected Thursday.
The Macrons’ travel to the White House marks their 2nd clip arsenic the guests of grant for a authorities visit, having archetypal done truthful during Donald Trump’s medication successful 2018. Thursday’s docket is filled with ceremonial fanfare, with a database of events expect to item the spot of the captious narration betwixt the US and its oldest ally.
The Macrons arrived astatine the White House for a ceremonial accomplishment ceremonial connected Thursday morning.
Elysée announced Thursday greeting that Macron gave the president 4 gifts: a vinyl and CD of the soundtrack to the movie the archetypal mates saw connected their archetypal day – “Un Homme et une Femme”, a cupful from the location Christofle symbolizing links betwixt France and the US, a sweater from House Saint James and a ticker from LIP Horlogerie. He besides gave the archetypal woman a transcript of “Madame Bovary” and “The Plague, The Fall, Exile and the Kingdom, and Selected Essays”, by Albert Camus. He gave Vice President Kamala Harris a exemplary of the Ariane 5 rocket.
The Macrons instrumentality for different authorities sojourn besides follows a melodramatic bounce-back successful US-French relations compared to conscionable a twelvemonth ago, erstwhile Macron took the bonzer measurement of recalling his ambassador to Washington implicit a US-Australia submarine woody that blindsided the French and outgo them a multi-billion dollar defence contract. The riff appears to mostly beryllium down them, and Biden and Macron person deepened their ties adjacent much implicit the past twelvemonth successful their agreed efforts to combat Russia’s warfare connected Ukraine.
“Throughout each of these events, you tin expect to spot connected show some our long-shared past arsenic allies, arsenic good arsenic our heavy concern … connected the astir urgent planetary challenges of contiguous and tomorrow,” White House nationalist information assembly spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday. “While determination are circumstantial areas wherever we expect volition marque advancement during this visit, I privation to accent that this sojourn truly mostly serves arsenic a solemnisation of the beardown footing of this relationship: 1 that is well-rooted successful our history, from the precise beginnings of our country, portion besides oriented squarely toward the aboriginal – and it’s a precise dynamic, breathtaking aboriginal that we’re looking guardant to.”
The bulk of events surrounding Macron’s authorities sojourn are taking spot connected Thursday.
After the authoritative accomplishment ceremonial astatine the White House, Biden and Macron volition clasp bilateral discussions. The 2 leaders are slated to deed connected a fig of issues including topics of communal involvement – specified arsenic Ukraine, Iran and China, earlier taking portion successful a associated property conference.
“I afloat expect, successful the larger capableness here, that the contented of China volition beryllium precise precocious connected the docket implicit the adjacent mates of days with President Macron here,” Kirby told reporters connected Wednesday.
US and French officials bash not expect the sojourn to output immoderate large deliverables, but some sides spot it arsenic an accidental for the 2 countries to deepen their concern connected a slew of planetary challenges. The 2 sides volition besides beforehand moving radical discussions that were launched successful the aftermath of past year’s submarine matter to measurement up practice connected space, cyberspace and vigor issues.
Still, determination are areas of disagreement that are expected to travel up.
One of the biggest points of hostility volition beryllium implicit billions of dollars successful electrical conveyance subsidies included successful the Inflation Reduction Act, which applies lone to those manufactured successful North America. Macron has slammed the measurement arsenic protectionist and French officials said helium intends to rise the contented successful meetings with Biden and legislature leaders.
On Thursday, Jill Biden and Brigitte Macron are besides scheduled to sojourn Planet Word, a language-focused depository successful Washington. A French authoritative has besides said that President Macron is expected to be a luncheon astatine the US State Department and conscionable with a bipartisan radical of legislature lawmakers.
Thursday evening, the Macrons volition instrumentality to the White House for the first authorities meal of the Biden administration. French guests see movie manager Claude Lelouch, Louvre Museum Director Laurence des Cars and LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault, according to the French official.
The White House has not unveiled who they person invited to be Thursday evening’s lavish dinner, but said successful a preview that New Orleans autochthonal Jon Batiste volition execute philharmonic selections.
On Wednesday, Harris welcomed President Macron to NASA to observe the practice of some nations successful space. The archetypal household besides held a backstage meal with the Macrons up of Thursday’s ceremonial authorities dinner.
During the past limb of their US visit, the Macrons volition question to New Orleans connected Friday to item caller efforts to grow French connection acquisition successful the US.
This communicative and header person been updated with further developments.