French leader's visit comes as European nations jostle for influence in the resource-rich region, where Russia, China, Turkey and Europe all have economic interests.
France has taken the commission of the European Union's before the European Court of Justice over the use of English as the sole language in recruitment exams by the bloc's Personnel Selection Office.
Russian billionaire Alexei Kuzmichev, co-founder of finance consortium Alfa Group and who is the target of sanctions by the EU which says he has 'well established ties' with Russia's president Vladimir Putin, was arrested at his French Riviera home in Saint-Tropez in connection with suspected money laundering, tax evasion and violation of international sanctions.
A woman dressed in a full veil who had reportedly threatened to blow up a Paris underground train on Tuesday morning was shot and seriously wounded by police who later found she was in fact not carrying explosives.