Chinese President Xi Jinping attended a series of activities in Paris on Monday, the second day of his state visit to France, yielding fruitful results in enhancing bilateral ties.
Xi arrived in Paris on Sunday for the state visit to France at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron, receiving a warm welcome by French officials and local people.
The visit is the second of its kind by China's head of state to France in five years and coincides with the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relationship between the two countries.
Xi on Monday attended a welcome ceremony held by Macron at Les Invalides in Paris.
Following the welcome ceremony, Xi held talks with Macron on relations between the two countries and major international issues of common concern.
At the talks held in the Elysee Palace, Xi expressed his delight in making his third state visit to France on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France.
After the talks, Xi and Macron held a joint meeting with the press at the Elysee Palace.
"China-French relations have precious history, unique value and important mission. Both sides should pass on the baton of history, carry forward the spirit of establishing diplomatic relations between China and France, and grant it new dimensions," Xi said at the press conference.
Xi, together with Macron, also attended the closing ceremony of the sixth meeting of the China-France Business Council at the Marigny Theater in Paris on Monday evening.
Xi also attended a China-France-EU trilateral meeting with Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Elysee Palace earlier in the day.
Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron held a welcoming banquet for Xi and his wife Peng Liyuan at the Elysee Palace.
Following the visit to France, Xi proceeded to Serbia on Tuesday on the second leg of his current three-nation Europe tour.
He will also pay a state visit to Hungary.
Xi attends series of activities on second day of state visit to France
Xi attends series of activities on second day of state visit to France
Xi attends series of activities on second day of state visit to France
A helicopter carrying Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi made a hard landing in Iran's northwestern province of East Azerbaijan on Sunday, state-run IRIB TV reported.
Raisi’s helicopter was part of a convoy of three helicopters which was on its way from Khoda Afarin County, where Raisi had attended the inauguration ceremony of a storage dam along with his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev, to the provincial capital Tabriz where Raisi was scheduled to attend the inauguration of a petrochemical complex, according to the report.
"On May 19 local time, the helicopter carrying Iranian President Raisi made a hard landing in East Azerbaijan in northwestern Iran. According to our investigation in Iran, the incident took place near the Varzaghan area of East Azerbaijan. From the live broadcast on Iranian national television, we can see that the entire area of the accident site is in a state of severe foggy weather, which caused great trouble to the search and rescue work. In addition to Iranian President Raisi, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, the governor of East Azerbaijan Province, and other officials and entourage were also on the helicopter," said Li Jiannan, a CCTV reporter in Iran.
Speaking to IRIB TV, Iranian Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi attributed the helicopter's rough landing to the unfavorable weather conditions, which he said also impacted search and rescue work.
The head of the Iranian Red Crescent Society Pirhossein Kolivand told IRIB TV that 40 rapid reaction teams had rushed to the scene and were monitoring the region while noting that there were difficulties in reaching the scene by land or by air due to the mountainous terrain and the bad weather conditions.
Kolivand, however, said drones were being used to search the region.
Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Mohammad Baqeri has ordered the army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, and the police to make all-out efforts to search for and rescue the president and his accompanying team, said the Iran Newspaper.
Speaking to IRIB TV, Iranian Health Minister Bahram Einollahi said medical teams had been stationed near the possible crash site.
Iranian government spokesman Ali Bahadori Jahromi said in a post on social media platform X that Vice President Mohsen Mansouri and several cabinet members were on their way to Tabriz after a meeting in Tehran.
Following the incident, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei expressed his hope that President Raisi and accompanying officials would be able to return home safely, saying that everyone should pray for them. Iranian people do not need to worry, and the work of the country and the government will not be affected, he said.
Following reports of the incident, leaders of neighboring countries, including Azerbaijan and Iraq, expressed concern over the developments and said they were ready to assist in search and rescue efforts.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on the same day, saying that Türkiye is following the incident and hopes that Iranian President Raisi, Foreign Minister Abdollahian and other Iranian officials are safe and healthy. Türkiye has taken action to provide support for the search and rescue operation, the statement said.
Iranian president's helicopter makes hard landing in NW province
