How D-Day commemorations became the stage for diplomacy and geopolitics

Stéphanie TROUILLARD

4 June 2024 at 12:17 pm·1-min read

To mark the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, French President Emmanuel Macron will preside over an international ceremony on Omaha Beach on June 6. Every 10-year anniversary of D-Day has become a not-to-be-missed event for many heads of state. These commemorations have not always had a political and diplomatic dimension, but have acquired an international following over the decades.

US President Joe Biden, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European Council President Charles Michel. On Thursday June 6, 25 heads of state, kings and queens, representatives of allied and enemy countries, will join French President Emmanuel Macron at the international tribute to the more than 150,000 soldiers who landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6, 1944.

D-Day commemorations have become a key political and diplomatic event for many of the world's leaders, but June 6 has not always been so keenly observed.

It took several decades for this historic day of remembrance to acquire an international following.

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