Donald Trump hailed "stronger than ever" links with France as he attended a Bastille Day parade in Paris amid heightened security.
The US President and his wife, Melania, sat on the Champs-Elysees in the French capital for Friday's military display.
French President Emmanuel Macron had invited Mr Trump to join him for his first Bastille Day celebration since being elected in May - viewed as a sign the youthful leader is trying to position himself as the bridge between Europe and America.
As horses, troops, helicopters and planes paraded down the famous Paris boulevard, more than 130,000 security and emergency service workers were deployed to protect crowds.
Both the Champs-Elysees and the Place de la Concorde, with its golden-tipped obelisk, were emptied two hours before the parade.
France is still in a state of emergency put in place following the Paris terror attacks in November 2015.
The Champs-Elysees was targeted as recently as last month, when a man died while deliberately rammed a car carrying weapons and explosives into a police van, sparking a terror investigation.
Later on Friday, Mr Macron will attend a memorial event in the southern city of Nice, on the first anniversary of the deaths 86 people, including children, after a Tunisian-born man drove a truck into a crowd watching a Bastille Day fireworks display.
Before sitting down to watch the Paris parade with his wife, Mr Macron and French first lady Brigitte Macron, the US President posted a photo on Twitter of the quartet's dinner at the Eiffel Tower on Thursday night.
Mr Trump wrote: "Great evening with President @EmmanuelMacron & Mrs. Macron. Went to Eiffel Tower for dinner. Relationship with France stronger than ever."
No comments:
Post a Comment