(twitter.comVP)  U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris confers with French President Emmanuel  Macron Feb. 16, 2021.

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke today with President Emmanuel Macron of France, and expressed her commitment to strengthening bilateral ties between the two countries and to revitalizing the transatlantic alliance. VP Harris and President Macron agreed on the need for close bilateral and multilateral cooperation to address COVID-19, climate change, and support democracy at home and around the world, according to a readout of the call released by the White House.   They also discussed numerous regional challenges, including those in the Middle East and Africa, and the need to confront them together. The Vice President thanked President Macron for his leadership on the issue of gender equality and for France’s contribution to NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover.

Glad we had this first talk @VP Kamala Harris! Let's move forward together on all the challenges we face: climate, gender equality, regional crises, and our space cooperation with (hopefully) a new step this Thursday with Perseverance’s landing on Mars! https://t.co/5Qb1T8Pkqp

— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 15, 2021