BRUSSELS, Nov. 19 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte started a rare two-day state visit to their northern neighboring country, Belgian news agency Belga reported on Monday.
The rare state visit, at the invitation of Belgian King Philippe and Queen Mathilde, aims to deepen relations between France and Belgium, at a time when the European Union is experiencing turbulence related to the rise of populism and Brexit.
The last state visit by a French president dates back to Georges Pompidou in 1971. Former French president Francois Mitterrand made an "official" three-day visit to Belgium in October 1983.
Macron and Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel will make their speeches on Tuesday afternoon on the theme of Europe at the Aula Magna in Louvain-la-Neuve, in front of 800 students, local media reported.
The state visit is organized just weeks after the controversy triggered by Belgium's decision on Oct. 25 to purchase U.S. F-35 fighter planes instead of European aircraft, a choice that was "regretted" by Macron and deemed contrary "to European interests".
However, Belgium's subsequent acquisition of more than 400 French armored vehicles for around 1.5 billion euros (1.72 billion U.S. dollars) has helped soften the blow.
