France will take lead in creating a world which protects us says Macron

“Mr Chirac was profoundly convinced that France could only be great if it was open to the rest of the world,” Mr Macron, 39, said during an awards ceremony at Paris’ Quai Branly- Jacques Chirac tribal art museum.

The centrist head of state added that France has “always been proud” of its openness to the world in what appeared to be a barely veiled attempt to consolidate his position as a key player and negotiator on the global stage.

He said: “Mr Chirac valued the principles of multilateralism in his approach to diplomatic relations because they embody openness and respect.

“And I am proud to say that I intend to have the same global outlook he had as president and follow in his footsteps.”

Mr Macron, whose multilateral approach to international trade and relations stands in stark contrast to US president Donald Trump’s unilateralist ‘America First’ doctrine, said in his first address to the UN General Assembly in September that multilateralism was “the most efficient way to face global challenges”.

“It is the realisation of a vision of the world that protects us,” he said.

Mr Macron, France’s youngest leader since Napoleon two centuries ago, has been busy playing the role of honest broker in international conflicts, including the Iraqi Kurdish independence crisis and the Lebanon crisis.