Spring date set for Franco-British summit in Paris

In what is set to be the first meeting of its kind in five years, French President Emmanuel Macron will host British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Paris for a bilateral summit at the Elysée Palace in early March.

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Britain's Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, during a bilateral meeting, at the COP27 summit, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, Monday, 7 November, 2022. AP - Ludovic Marin

According to the Elysée Palace in a statement this Wednesday, French President Emmanuel Macron has invited UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to Paris on 10 March for a bilateral summit, as the two countries seek to revive their ties after recent tensions.

"It will be an opportunity for the two leaders to deepen cooperation ... in a range of areas, including security, climate and energy, the economy, migration, youth and foreign policy", the French presidency said.

Macron to host Sunak for UK-France summit in March https://t.co/3BSmscafxG

— The Independent (@Independent) January 11, 2023

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Relations between France and Britain have come under stress in recent years, in particular since Britain offically left the European Union in January 2021.

The countries have often traded blame for an array of problems, including fishing disputes and the failure to stem a flow of clandestine migrants across the English Channel.

The Elysée Palace has also stated that the Franco-British summit in March "will be the first meeting of its kind since 2018".