French president begins first visit to Canada

OTTAWA - Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau met French President Emmanuel Macron, who arrived in Ottawa Wednesday afternoon for a visit to Canada and will attend the G7 summit.

Trudeau greeted Macron by welcoming him for his first visit to Canada as French president, saying France is a great friend and partner of Canada on the international scene and they will make the forthcoming summit a success.

Macron said the summit comes at a critical moment and is an opportunity for cooperation on economy, climate change and geo-political concerns.

France is Canada's ninth-largest trading partner globally and the fourth-largest export market in the European Union.

Canadian direct investment in France was valued at eight billion Canadian dollars (6.1 billion US dollars) at the end of 2017, and French direct investment in Canada was valued at 8.2 billion Canadian dollars (6.3 billion US dollars).

Canada assumed group of seven presidency on Jan 1, 2018, and will host summit in the Charlevoix region of Quebec province on June 8 and 9.