French President Emmanuel Macron commemorated victims of the Holocaust in Berlin on Monday during the second day of his official state visit to Germany.
Macron, along with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, located near the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag building in the heart of Berlin's government district.
Both presidents laid wreaths with flowers in the colours of their national flags. They were accompanied by their wives, Brigitte Macron and Elke Büdenbender.
The couples walked into the memorial, which consists of rows of large concrete blocks, and then visited the museum.
Around 6 million Jews were systematically killed by Germany's Nazi regime throughout Europe during the Holocaust.
At the French embassy in Berlin, Macron honoured the persistent work of renowned Nazi hunters Beate and Serge Klarsfeld, who spent decades documenting Nazi crimes and tracking down war criminals.
Later on Monday, the Macrons arrived at Moritzburg Castle near the city of Dresden in the eastern German state of Saxony, accompanied by Steinmeier and Büdenbender. Saxony's state premier, Michael Kretschmer, welcomed them at the castle.
The highlight in Dresden is expected to be Macron's speech on European policy in front of the city's well-known Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady) on Monday evening.
It is thought that the speech will be directed toward young people in Europe, and thousands of people from Saxony as well as Poland, the Czech Republic and France are expected to attend.
Just a month ago, Macron caused a stir in Europe by calling for greater EU independence, economic strength and security in a keynote speech and warned that Europe "can die."
Macron argued that - in the face of military threats, anti-democratic populism and competition between the United States and China - the EU must expand its sovereignty, defend its values and protect its interests and markets.
A visit to the Fraunhofer Institute for Photonic Microsystems in Dresden is also planned for Monday, where an expert discussion on artificial intelligence (AI) and the European microchip industry is planned.
On Tuesday, Macron is expected to conclude his state visit in the western German university city of Münster, where he is to be awarded the International Peace of Westphalia Prize.
This is to be immediately followed late on Tuesday afternoon by Franco-German government consultations at the Meseberg Palace, a guest house belonging to the German government located north of Berlin.
