French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday welcomed outgoing President Angela Merkel after 16 years in office.

In gratitude for Merkel’s contribution to Franco-German relations, Macron saw her contact with four French presidents and invited her to visit the French town of Ban, in the Borgon region, to grow grapes.

Merkel, who was accompanied by her husband Joachim Chau, walked through the crowd with Macron and shouted, “No, Bravo!” He was given a warm welcome when he met a group of well-wishers chanting.

“France loves you,” Macron tweeted in Germany, where the piano concert and dinner took place.

It is also planned to receive the Legion of Honor, France’s highest award, from Macron.

Macron is the fourth French president to succeed Merkel during her tenure, after Jacques Chirac, Nicolas Sarkozy and Franோois Hollande.

Both leaders belong to two different generations with different approaches to international affairs, and have fallen behind the scenes on issues such as Berlin’s desire for budget austerity and Macron’s desire for a non – US European security strategy.

But they are seen as effective partners, especially by leading the unprecedented recovery package in the EU to help economies weakened by the Covit-19 epidemic.

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