Macron offers Merkel French national honour on her farewell trip

Paris, Nov 4 (IANS) French President Emmanuel Macron presented the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour to Germany's outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel during her farewell visit to France.

This visit by Merkel "comes to close years of fruitful work between the President and the Chancellor in order to strengthen Franco-German bilateral cooperation", Xinhua news agency quoted the French presidential office, the Elysee as saying.

The farewell visit by Merkel to Beaune in central-eastern France "comes to close years of fruitful work between the President and the Chancellor in order to strengthen Franco-German bilateral cooperation", said the Elysee.

The Grand Cross is the highest distinction of the order of the Legion of Honour, which "embodies the strength of Franco-German friendship, maintained by Angela Merkel", it added.

On Wednesday, Macron and Merkel visited the Hospices de Beaune, a former hospital famous for its wine estate and where former French President Francois Mitterrand and former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl met in June 1993 for the 63rd Franco-German summit.

After 16 years in power, Merkel chose France as the last stop on her farewell tour before leaving office.