Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met with newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ summit in Italy today to get to know each other and discuss a host of urgent issues from countering radicalisation to climate change and international security.
It was the first meeting between the two young leaders since Macron’s election on May 7.
“The Franco-Canadian friendship has a new face,” tweeted Macron, following the meeting with Trudeau in the picturesque town of Taormina, Sicily. “We have to meet the challenges of our generation.”
Macron’s tweet included a video clip of the two leaders chatting congenially as they strolled through a lush Sicilian garden.
L’amitié franco-canadienne a un nouveau visage. @JustinTrudeau, à nous de relever les défis de notre génération ! #G7Taormina pic.twitter.com/8EdQopviov
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) May 26, 2017
The relaxed and congenial chemistry between Trudeau, 45, and Macron, 39, – the two youngest G7 leaders – was in marked contrast to some of the forced interactions between G7 and European Union leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Together around common values, to respond to challenges related to terrorism, climate and economic cooperation,” Macron continued in a second tweet.
Sitting down with @EmmanuelMacron for the first time, talking jobs, security & climate – looking forward to more conversations, my friend. pic.twitter.com/8ih8iEZ4aw
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) 26 May 2017
Trudeau and Macron discussed migration, diversity and pluralism, countering radicalisation, combating climate change, and international security, according to the readout of the meeting provided by the Prime Minister’s Office.
“Both leaders also reaffirmed the importance of promoting growth that benefits all and increasing the trade between our countries, including the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, once ratified,” the readout said.
Together with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trudeau is now one of the veterans of G7 meetings, having attended his first summit hosted by Abe in Japan last year.
The turnover of leaders in Britain, the U.S. and Italy means that British Prime Minister Theresa May, Trump and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who is hosting the summit, are relative neophytes.
The leaders of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the U.S., as well as Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, and Donald Tusk, President of the European Council, have gathered in Taormina to hold talks on terrorism, Syria, North Korea and the global economy.
Trudeau will host the next G7 leaders’ summit in 2018 in La Malbaie, Quebec. However, elections in Germany, Italy and the UK mean that Trudeau might be hosting a different roster of leaders in a year.
For reasons beyond our control, and for an undetermined period of time, our comment section is now closed. However, our social networks remain open to your contributions.