World War 1 Remembrance Day: World Leaders mark 100th anniversary of end of first World War in Paris
French President Emmanuel Macron was be joined by some 70 world leaders on Sunday to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice that brought World War One to an end and to honour the millions of soldiers who died in the conflict.
French President Emmanuel Macron was be joined by some 70 world leaders on Sunday to commemorate the centenary of the Armistice that brought World War One to an end and to honour the millions of soldiers who died in the conflict.
It was at 11.00 a.m. on Nov. 11, 1918, that the guns fell silent across the western front, heralding the end of a four-year conflict that claimed the lives of 10 million combatants and millions of civilians.
One hundred years later, Macron will pay tribute to those soldiers and their families in an address delivered at the foot of the Arc de Triomphe, built by Emperor Napoleon in 1806, where an unknown soldier killed in the Great War is buried.
US President Donald Trump, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Russian leader Vladimir Putin are among the dozens of monarchs, heads of state and government due to attend the ceremony, before lunch with Macron at the Elysee Palace.
In a rare public display of emotion by the leaders of two world powers, Macron and Merkel held hands on Saturday during a poignant ceremony in the Compiegne Forest, north of Paris, where French and German delegations signed the Armistice that ended the war.
Testimonies written by soldiers on Nov. 11, 1918, as the ceasefire took hold, will be read at Sunday's event by high school students in French, English and German.
The conflict was one of the bloodiest in history, reshaping Europe's politics and demographics. Peace, however, was short-lived and two decades later Nazi Germany invaded its neighbours.
US President Donald Trump (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron (R) shake hands as they attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on November 11, 2018 as part of commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the 11 November 1918 armistice, ending World War I.
Photo Credits: AFP
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L) and French President Emmanuel Macron arrive to attend a lunch at the Elysee Palace in Paris on November 11, 2018, during commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the 11 November 1918 armistice, ending World War I.
Photo Credits: AFP
Spains King Felipe VI, Moroccan King Mohammed VI, Republic of the Congos President Denis Sassou Nguesso and Moroccos Prince Moulay Hassan arrive to attend a lunch at the Elysee Palace in Paris on November 11, 2018, during commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the 11 November 1918 armistice, ending World War I.
Photo Credits: AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron (L) and French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe pay their respects by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as they attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on November 11, 2018, as part of commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the 11 November 1918 armistice, ending World War I.
Photo Credits: AFP
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Sweden''s Prime Minister Stefan Lofven arrive at the Elysee Palace after the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of World War One, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018.
Photo Credits: Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron welcome Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan with his wife Emine Erdogan at the Elysee Palace as part of the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of the First World War, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018.
Photo Credits: Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron welcome Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the Elysee Palace as part of the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of World War One, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018.
Photo Credits: Reuters
Swiss Confederation's President Alain Berset and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde arrive at the Elysee Palace after the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of World War One, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018.
Photo Credits: Reuters
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves as he arrives at the Elysee Palace after the commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of World War One, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018. REUTERS/Reinhard Krause
Photo Credits: Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech during a commemoration ceremony for Armistice Day, 100 years after the end of the First World War, at the Arc de Triomphe, in Paris, France, November 11, 2018. Ludovic Marin/Pool via REUTERS
Photo Credits: AFP
French President Emmanuel Macron re-lights the eternal flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier during a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on November 11, 2018, as part of commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the 11 November 1918 armistice, ending World War I.
Photo Credits: AFP
States chiefs and international organisations representatives arrive to attend a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on November 11, 2018, as part of commemorations marking the 100th anniversary of the 11 November 1918 armistice, ending World War I.
Photo Credits: AFP