Today.Az » World news » Macron welcomes Trump in Paris
14 July 2017 [13:41] - Today.Az


By Azernews


By Kamila Aliyeva

U.S. President Donald Trump begun a visit to Paris on July 13 and was greeted by French leader Emmanuel Macron, who showed him Napoleon’s tomb before they held talks on Syria and counter-terrorism.

Before the meeting, the two leaders appeared keen to set aside their differences on climate change as they voiced intention to work together on other matters.

Following the talks, both leaders attended a press conference which became Trump's first contact with journalists after the recent publication of information about the meeting of the president's son with a Russian lawyer during his presidential campaign in 2016.

Macron drew attention to the common positions and differences in the approaches of Paris and Washington to world problems. At the same time, the French leader noted that there is a close mutual understanding between France and the United States on most issues.

Macron said that he had agreed with Trump about the need to defend free and fair trade. He also informed about the agreement on joint actions against cybercrime and propaganda on the Internet.

Trump, in his speech, stressed the historical role of France in affirming the ideals of freedom. He drew attention to the long-standing friendship and alliance between the two states, in particular, the participation of "thousands of French" in the war of the American states for independence from Britain.

The first question at the press conference concerned the Paris Climate Deal. Trump said that he is exploring the possibilities of developing U.S. cooperation with other member states of the Paris agreements.

The U.S. President also mentioned other topics discussed with Macron, in particular, Syrian crisis and situation in Ukraine, without revealing specific details.

A question regarding his son’s meeting with a Russian lawyer during the presidential campaign was also asked. Trump stated that the media had inflated the details of the meeting, and again named his son an honest young man who did not take anything important from the meeting with the Russian lawyer stressing that he was not a government lawyer.

Macron, in connection with the same issue, confirmed that he adheres to "non-interference" in the affairs of the United States.

As for Bashar Assad, Paris intends to work closely with all parties to achieve a lasting political solution, the French President said.

The use of chemical weapons is unacceptable, according to Macron.

Presidents of France and the United States following the talks on July 13 proposed the establishment of a contact group to draw up a "road map" for the future of Syria. It should include permanent members of the UN Security Council, "interested participants from the region," as well as a representative of Damascus.

The meeting was the first since their encounter in Hamburg, Germany for the G-20 summit.



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