WASHINGTON: US Vice President Kamala Harris and French President Emmanuel Macron have agreed to establish a US-France Comprehensive Dialogue on Space to enhance civil, commercial, and national security space cooperation, the White House said on Wednesday (local time).
This comes after Harris met with Macron at the Elysee Palace in Paris to express her appreciation for the close friendship and shared values between the United States and France.
In a statement, Senior Advisor and Chief Spokesperson Symone Sanders, on Harris's meeting with Macron, said that the Vice President reinforced the United States' commitment to continue deepening coordination and cooperation across a range of global challenges, from transatlantic security to the Indo-Pacific to the Sahel.
According to the statement, Harris thanked Macron for his leadership in convening world leaders for the Paris Peace Forum and the Paris Conference on Libya. She also thanked Macron for France's contributions to global vaccination efforts and its leadership in combatting climate change.
"Noting the 60 years of US-France partnership in space and the growing importance of space in providing benefits to people around the world, Vice President Harris and President Macron agreed to establish a US-France Comprehensive Dialogue on Space to enhance civil, commercial, and national security space cooperation," the statement said.
Vice President Harris and President Macron also discussed the need for continued cooperation and concrete actions to create norms around emerging technology and strengthen preparedness for future pandemics, the statement added.