French FM Stresses Importance of Ties With US in Phone Call With Tillerson

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault has held telephone talks with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, confirming the commitment of the two countries to fight terrorism, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

PARIS (Sputnik) – In a phone conversation Jean-Marc Ayrault invited Rex Tillerson to visit to France in order to continue this first exchange, according to the ministry.

"The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development has emphasized the importance of our historic ties, which translate into crucial cooperation in the area of security, particularly in the fight against terrorism. Mr. Ayrault and Tillerson reaffirmed the strength of the Franco-American alliance against this threat and the shared will of the two countries to eradicate it, in particular in Iraq and Syria," the Friday statement says.

Ayrault also stressed the importance of a close relationship with the United States in facing the challenge of climate change and the duty of protecting refugees.

The exchange came in the wake of the string of ferocious terrorist attacks on France and America.

In the latest instance on Friday, a French armed patrol opened fire against an attacker armed with a machete near the Carrousel du Louvre shopping center in Paris and reportedly wounded him. According to local police, the assailant shouted "Allah Akbar" during the attack.