(VOVworld)-  The US government welcomed French President Francois Hollande with a state ceremony on Tuesday and praised the ‘durable’ US-France coalition.

President Barack Obama, right, and French President Francois Hollande, left. Photo: AP

This is the first state visit to the US by a French President in the last 2 decades. After the welcoming ceremony, Hollande met with US President Barack Obama to discuss US-France relations and collaboration between the two countries on hot-button issues like the ongoing talks between 5 permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany, and Iran, the Syrian civil war, the stalled Middle East peace process, and the Muslim extremist movement in North Africa. The global economy, climate change, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) and the US National Security Agency (NSA) were also discussed. At a press conference following that meeting, Hollande insisted that Paris and Washington’s mutual trust has recovered since the NSA surveillance scandal. Later, President Obama chaired a banquet reception for President Hollande.