PARIS, April 26 (Xinhua) -- During a pomp-filled tour to the United States, French President Emmanuel Macron underscored a strong relationship with his American counterpart at a time when European leaders have kept their distance.
After a fierce handshake during their first meeting in May 2017, Macron, who is pro-business reform, and U.S. President Donald Trump, an advocate of nationalism, celebrated their friendship by grabbing hands or slapping each other's backs, a physical stance that seemed to help France's youngest head of state score a diplomatic coup.
"It may happened that we have disagreement with the United States like in all families. I think it's a short term disagreement," Macron told the U.S. Congress during his three-day stay.
In a speech widely seen as a honor given to a small number of visiting foreign leaders, Macron invited his American host "to work together in order to make (the) planet great again, create new jobs and new opportunities."
However, he repeatedly criticized the U.S. president's protectionist principles, asking him to take more acts in the fight against climate change and stay in the Iran nuclear pact.
"French President showed he is a friend of the United States while making the voice of France heard. The test is a success," said Olivier Mazerolle, a political analyst.
During a congress dominated by the Republicans, Macron "was cheered 49 times and was given standing ovation while he refused isolationism, defended Paris accord and Iran nuclear deal, topics that Trump does not defend," he told RTL radio.
On May 7 2017, Macron became the first French president who doesn't come from one of the country's two mainstream parties.
Shaking the domestic political landscape, the former investment banker whose credentials were untested, had been under pressure to defend his ability to flex the country's diplomatic muscles and achieve foreign policy successes.
A year on, the novice showed that France, a veto-wielding member of the U.N. Security Council, has a key role to play in various international conflicts and succeded in maintaining close ties with an unpredictable American top official, according to Hubert Vedrine, ex-foreign minister.
"Since no politician gives the impression of having influence over Donald Trump, it is not at all absurd on the part of Emmanuel Macron to try using the friendship card. There is no need to criticize this approach as there is no immediate result," Vedrine told the local broadcaster Europe 1.
The French diplomat added that under Macron's administration, "French foreign policy is again very realistic and ambitious."
Macron, who has made clear his differences with Trump notably on climate change and Iran nuclear deal, had made a daring gamble by inviting Trump and his wife Melania to attend the July 14 parade in Paris, two months after he took office.
At a time when the United States had increasingly been isolated on the global stage, he sought to position himself as Trump's principal interlocutor, a move which according to Francois Bayrou, a veteran centrist politician, had paid fruit.
"France has a historical and political weight in the world, but it was not heard for years. Now, we hear a mediating voice," he tweeted.
"Emmanuel Macron's visit has allowed Donald Trump's evolution on the Iranian nuclear deal. It reinforces the weight of France on the international scene," he added.
