Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to Paris in November to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron as the U.S. attempts to soothe diplomatic tensions with the country.
The vice president will also deliver a speech at the fourth annual Paris Peace Forum on Nov. 11, her spokesperson said in a statement. She will participate in the Paris conference on Libya with a range of other foreign leaders the following day.
The Biden administration has tried to calm the diplomatic firestorm created last month when the U.S. announced a multibillion-dollar security pact with Australia and the United Kingdom. France had been expecting to sell submarines to Australia under a 2016 contract.
The White House has previously acknowledged that U.S. officials could have consulted and communicated better with their French counterparts over the submarine deal.
President Joe Biden spoke with Macron on Friday by telephone to discuss European defense and ongoing conflict in the Sahel, a region in Africa, the White House said in a statement. Biden will meet with Macron in Rome later this month during the Group of 20 forum. The White House said Harris' November visit is "a key opportunity to further enhance U.S.-France cooperation on a range of global challenges."
Harris will mark Veterans Day in the U.S. and Armistice Day in France during her visit. She will also visit the Suresnes American Cemetery to pay tribute to Americans who fought in the two world wars.
