French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and his US counterpart Donald Trump after a joint press conference in Paris on Thursday.

:: “We face threats from leaders and regimes in the world who finance and support terrorism,” US President Donald Trump told a news conference on Thursday in Paris with French President Emmanuel Macron.

Trump added that America’s relationship with France is stronger than ever.

The US president pointed out that Washington confirms its commitment to defeat terrorism.

Trump pointed to the support of the Iraqi government to preserve what has been achieved. “We are seeking a comprehensive cease-fire in Syria,” Trump said.

For his part, the French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed that he held lengthy talks with Trump, including the fight against terrorism.

“We agreed to pursue joint action in Syria and Iraq,” Macron said, referring to the agreement to form a contact group to create a post-war international road map in Syria.

Macron confirmed that there is no disagreement with Washington on the fight against terrorism. “We changed France’s doctrine on Syria to reach a comprehensive political solution,” he said.

“On the Iraq-Syria situation, we have agreed to continue working together, in particular on the building of a roadmap for the post-war period,” Macron said in a joint news conference during Trump’s visit to Paris.

“We have asked our diplomats to work in that direction, so in the next few weeks a concrete initiative can be taken and managed by the P5,” Macron said, referring to the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Macron said France would not place the departure of Bashar al-Assad as a condition for reaching a political solution.

US President Donald Trump, arrived in Paris on Thursday morning to meet with his French counterpart . Weeks after Macron hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Palace of Versailles, Trump will bask in the trappings of the Bastille Day military parade on Friday and commemorations of the entry 100 years ago of US troops into World War One.

Macron welcomed Trump with a warm handshake and smiles, a contrast to the clenched-jaw greeting they shared at their first encounter in May.

“Emmanuel, nice to see you. This is so beautiful,” the US president told Macron as they met at the Hotel des Invalides where Napoleon Bonaparte and other French war heroes are buried.

Syria cooperation

For the 39-year-old Macron, France’s youngest leader since Napoleon two centuries ago, the visit is a chance to use soft diplomacy to win Trump’s confidence and set about influencing US foreign policy, which European leaders say lacks direction.

Macron views it as counter-productive to isolate the United States on the world stage, and said he and Trump had asked diplomats to draw up in the coming weeks a concrete initiative aimed at preparing the future of Syria.

Trump said work was underway to negotiate a ceasefire in a second region of Syria.

On Friday, Trump will be guest of honor at France’s July 14 celebrations, a year after a Tunisian man loyal to ISIS ploughed a truck through revellers on a seafront promenade in Nice, killing more than 80.

In bringing Trump to Paris, Macron has stolen a march on Britain’s embattled Prime Minister Theresa May.

London’s offer of a state visit for Trump met fierce domestic criticism and warnings that he would be greeted by mass protests.

An Elabe poll showed that 59 percent of French people approved of Macron’s decision to invite Trump.