PARIS - Emmanuel Macron, France’s youngest president in modern history, on Friday celebrated his first-ever Bastille Day, or French National Day, with the usual pomp, military parade and flight show, commemorating the centenary of the United States entering World War I.
Alongside his guest of honor U.S. President Donald Trump, Macron presided over the military parade down the Champs Elysees Avenue with some 3,720 soldiers, including 211 armored vehicles, 241 horses and 92 jets and helicopters flying over the sky.
At around 10:30 local time (0830 GMT), French fighter jets, Rafale and Mirage 2000 followed by U.S. F-16s opened the annual parade with an air show, symbolizing the two countries’ military cooperation.
After an infamous fierce handshake in their first meeting in May, Macron, a pro-business reformist and Trump, an advocate of nationalism, looked relaxed during the parade.
“This is a wonderful national celebration. Our two nations are forever joined together by the spirit of revolution and the fight for freedom,” Trump said at a press meeting on Thursday. (Xinhua)