French President Emmanuel Macron and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will visit the site of Paris’ Notre-Dame Cathedral together on Monday, which was devastated by fire in 2019, the Elysee Palace announced on Friday.
Fumio Kishida is scheduled to begin a tour of Europe and then North America in Paris on Monday to meet his counterparts from other G7 countries, of which Japan assumed the presidency this year.
Emmanuel Macron and his host will head to Notre-Dame ahead of a working dinner at the Elysée focused on the challenges of the G7 presidency and the “exceptional partnership” between the two countries.
“Symbol of this common desire to rebuild in the face of adversity, this visit will make it possible to present the exceptional French know-how in terms of heritage,” said the French presidency.
A first for a foreign leader
This is the first time that Emmanuel Macron has invited a foreign leader to the site, the presidency argued.
Reconstruction work on Notre-Dame is actively continuing with the goal of reopening the cathedral to the public in 2024.
The president will also express France’s “full support for the Japanese presidency” of the G7 and its “attachment to the G7 action in support of Ukraine” in the face of Russian aggression, the Elysee said.
The two leaders will provide an overview of bilateral cooperation in energy, defense, emerging technologies and culture.
They will also discuss their “partnership in the Indo-Pacific space”, where France, with seven territories, intends to strengthen its ambitions and strategic cooperation.
Source: BFM TV
