French president François Hollande and German chancellor Angela Merkel will stand shoulder to shoulder this Sunday on the battlefield of Verdun to remember those killed 100 years ago in one of the bloodiest episodes of World War I, reports FRANCE 24.
To mark the centenary, Hollande and Merkel will lay wreaths at cemeteries holding the dead of both sides in the northeast French town.
The 1916 offensive lasted 300 days and claimed more than 300,000 lives.
Both leaders are expected to use the day of remembrance to stress the need for unity at a time when the European Union is under pressure from the migrant crisis and a possible Brexit.
Speaking on the eve of the commemorations, Merkel underlined the close ties between the neighbouring countries, often described as the twin motors of Europe.
“To be invited to these commemorations shows the extent to which relations between France and Germany are good today,” she said.
In the run-up to the ceremony, Hollande recalled the moment during the 1984 commemoration that his predecessor Francois Mitterrand and the then chancellor of West Germany Helmut Kohl joined hands during the playing of the French national anthem.
“Mitterrand’s gesture with Helmut Kohl, the hands that reached out and found each other, that’s the symbol of reconciliation,” he told French radio this week.
Now was the time for both countries’ leaders to spell out what they wanted to do for Europe at this moment, a time when the continent was in the grip of the “evil of populism”.
That appeared to be a reference to Europe’s far-right parties which have made advances in several countries, fuelled by growing concern over an unprecedented influx of migrants.
European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker will also attend Sunday’s acts of remembrance.