World Leaders Arrive At Elysee Palace Before The WWI End Commemorations

PARIS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th November, 2018) Some seventy heads of states and governments arrive at the French president's palace, from where they will then drive to Champs Elysee to take part in World War I centenary commemorations, a Sputnik correspondent reported on Sunday.

Early on Sunday, the leaders started arriving at Elysee Palace, where they were greeted by the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and later by the country's president, Emmanuel Macron.

According to the Elysee press service, 84 invitations have been sent to the world leaders to join the Armistice Day celebrations at Arc de Triumph. The presidents of nearly all the European states, as well as the leaders of Australia, Tunisia, the Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Mali, vice-president of India, prime ministers of Japan, Israel, Canada, Thailand etc. Some seventy leaders overall have accepted the invitation. The chiefs of the international organizations, such as the International Monetary Fund, the United Nations, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, NATO, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), and the World Trade Organization (WTO) will be also present at the ceremony.

Four buses will take the leaders to Champs Elysee later in the day, where the ceremony is scheduled to start at 11 a.m. local time (10:00 GMT), with Macron giving an opening speech.

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will come to the celebrations in their own corteges.

Some 3,200 guests will attend the military ceremony and will later have dinners in the Elysee Palace, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hotel des Invalides and even in Versailles, where the spouses of the presidents will have dinner organized by Brigitte Macron.