France’s Macron gets a ceremonial welcome in Sweden at the start of a 2-day state visit

STOCKHOLM (AP) — French President Emmanuel Macron is on a two-day state visit in Stockholm during which he will meet Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, as well as the Scandinavian country’s monarch, King Carl XVI Gustaf. He was welcomed on Tuesday with pomp and ceremony at the royal palace. Macron is set to discuss the future of European security at a military academy in Stockholm together with Kristersson and the king. The French president and his wife, Brigitte, initially were to travel to Sweden in late October, but the visit was postponed due to the Gaza war that began with Hamas’ attack in southern Israel on Oct. 7.