BERLIN: Emmanuel Macron will make a state visit to Germany in May, the German presidency said Thursday, the first trip of its kind by a French president in 24 years.

The state visit was originally scheduled for last July, but was postponed because of riots in France.

Although Macron travels regularly to Berlin for dialogue with Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a state visit is handled at a higher protocol level, usually involving more pomp and ceremony.

An invitation for such a trip can only be extended by a nation’s serving head of state. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier will receive Macron in Berlin at his official residence Schloss Bellevue on May 26.

Macron visit to Germany in May to focus on EU ties

In Berlin, the French leader will join commemoration ceremonies marking the foundation of post-war West Germany and the end of Communist rule in East Germany.

The pair will also travel to the east German city Dresden and Muenster in the west, visiting sites where the two countries cooperate on technological innovations or security.

“Both presidents will celebrate European integration at all stops” of the three-day tour, said the German presidency’s statement.

Macron’s three-day trip will be the first state visit by a French president in Germany since 2000, when Jacques Chirac travelled to Berlin.