Armistice Day centenary

The Armistice Day centenary refers to the centenary in 2018 of the armistice which ended hostilities in World War I. It concluded the wider international series of events marking the First World War centenary beginning in 2014. In the months leading up to its date, numerous events were scheduled in conjunction with the series of related annual memorial days (Armistice Day, Remembrance Day and Veterans Day) and also as part of commissions established for the purposes of marking the four year centenary of the First World War.

Commemorations in France were led by President Emmanuel Macron, and included an international ceremony in Paris which attracted many world leaders, in addition to the first Paris Peace Forum. In London, a service of thanksgiving was hosted at Westminster Abbey, with a German representative invited to participate in the annual National Service of Remembrance for the first time. Other military ceremonies and events elsewhere throughout the United Kingdom and in key members of the Commonwealth which participated in the war, as well as across the world.

Background
The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was signed near the French town of Compiègne, between the Allied Powers and Germany—represented by Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch and civilian politician Matthias Erzberger respectively—with capitulations having already been made separately by Bulgaria, the Ottoman Empire and Austria-Hungary. The agreements made by both sides included the cessation of all land and air hostilities on the Western Front. It was agreed upon at 5am (Paris time) and came into effect later that morning at 11am.

Formal peace negotiations only took place during the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 and 1920. With three extensions to the armistice having already been made, a state of peace was ratified with a series of treaties between the Allies and the former Central Powers, beginning with the Treaty of Versailles on 10 January 1920.

Following the end of the war, 11 November was designated a memorial day initially dedicated to the anniversary of the armistice and the military dead of World War I, known as Armistice Day. The first such observance took place in 1919. Following World War II, it was renamed under different titles in several countries (e.g. Remembrance Day in the Commonwealth and Veterans Day in the United States).

Several national governments drafted plans to mark the First World War centenary with commemorative events, beginning with the 2014 anniversary of the outbreak of World War I and also marking key dates of the war such as the Gallipoli campaign in 2015 and the battles of Verdun and the Somme in 2016.

Organization
The official schedule for the centenary was announced on 18 September 2018, during a press conference hosted by education minister Jean-Michel Blanquer and Geneviève Darrieussecq, secretary of state to the Minister of the Armed Forces. It included an international ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe followed by the inaugural edition of the newly founded Paris Peace Forum, plans which were already mentioned by French President Emmanuel Macron in a speech published in July. The government's Mission Centenaire committee was responsible for the organisation of the events.

Timeline
On 4 November 2018, Macron and his spouse Brigitte Macron hosted German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier at the Strasbourg Cathedral. Following a military ceremony, they attended a concert inside, conducted by the orchestra of the Académie supérieure de Strasbourg. The flags of France, the European Union and Germany were hoisted outside the cathedral.

The president announced that writer Maurice Genevoix, author of numerous books on the First World War, would be posthumously listed on the Panthéon in 2019, alongside 14 French civilians and soldiers who participated in the war. In the week leading up to the centenary itself, he visited symbolic Western Front locations across eleven departments in the north and east of the country. His decision subsequently drew anger from voters over what the Financial Times described as his "perceived metropolitan disregard for their pocketbook concerns." On 6 November, Macron and Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta inaugurated a memorial for fallen colonial soldiers in Reims.


 * 10 November

Invited guests to the Arc de Triomphe ceremony, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, US President Donald Trump, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, began arriving in Paris. Around 10,000 police officers, gendarmes and soldiers were placed on duty in the lead up to the events.

The same day, Merkel visited the Glade of the Armistice at Compiègne alongside Macron, where they laid a wreath, unveiled a plaque dedicated to Franco-German reconciliation and signed a book of remembrance in a replica of the railway carriage where the armistice was signed. The visit was symbolic as it marked the first time that French and German leaders had visited the site since 1945.

Macron later held a bilateral meeting with Trump at the Élysée Palace, which took place a day after Trump tweeted that "Europe should first pay its fair share" of NATO defence expenditures in response to the former's suggestions for a continental European army. A similar meeting was planned between Trump and Putin, but it was ultimately scrapped due to the forthcoming G20 Buenos Aires summit. Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, participated in separate commemorations at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in northern France. An official reception dinner for invited guests took place in the evening at the Musée d'Orsay.


 * 11 November

At 11 am (CET), bells across France rang simultaneously to mark a century since World War I ended, including at Notre-Dame de Paris and at churches in overseas France. Guests for the international ceremony had been received by Macron at the Élysée Palace in the morning before departing in unison. Trump, Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu showed up late to the venue, as they opted for their own transportation due to security concerns. The ceremony began shortly after 11 am, following a presidential inspection of troops, a roll call of French soldiers killed in the preceding year and an army choir rendition of the French national anthem.

The event included a performance by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who played the sarabande from Bach's Suite No. 5 in C minor. A group of testimonies dating to 11 November 1918 were read out by a group of teenage students in between, after which Ma performed the second movement of Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Cello with French violinist Renaud Capuçon. Beninese musician Angélique Kidjo sang a variation of the song Blewu by Bella Bellow, in homage to colonial troops.

Macron delivered a keynote speech in which he denounced nationalism as a "betrayal of patriotism", and warned of the resurgence of "old demons". The European Union Youth Orchestra followed with a performance of Ravel's Bolero. The end of the ceremony included a rekindling of the Tomb to the Unknown Soldier, where Macron also laid a wreath, culminating in the "Sonnerie aux morts" and a minute of silence, followed by the "Cessez-le-feu" bugle call.

All international guests were invited immediately afterward to a luncheon at the Élysée, with their consorts gathering at the Palace of Versailles. The inaugural Paris Peace Forum was opened at the Grande halle de la Villette in the afternoon, with Macron, Merkel and United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres giving remarks at its plenary session. Trump declined to attend, instead visiting the Suresnes American Cemetery and Memorial as the forum took place, where he made an address before returning to the United States.

Later in the day, the European Broadcasting Union organised a concert at the Royal Opera of Versailles with performances by the Vienna Philharmonic, entitled the "Concert for Peace." During a concert in La Force, Dordogne, violinist Pierre Hamel from the Colonne Orchestra performed using a metal violin assembled by soldiers in the trenches. A series of religious memorial services were organised for the day, including an international mass at Notre-Dame de Paris, conducted by Archbishop Michel Aupetit.

Incidents
In October 2018, it was reported that tributes to World War I marshals at the Hôtel des Invalides would include one to Philippe Pétain, who served in the Battle of Verdun and later headed Nazi-aligned Vichy France. It resulted in criticism from French Jews, the opposition and on social media. In response, the office of the Élysée said it was not part of their official schedule and did not understand how Pétain "ended up" on the list. Macron in particular described Pétain as a "great soldier", while remarking that he made "disastrous choices" during the Nazi occupation. The tribute to Pétain was ultimately withdrawn.

A planned visit by Trump to the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery and Memorial, scheduled for 10 November, was cancelled due to what the White House termed "bad weather". The decision was met with criticism, particularly from former Obama national security advisor Ben Rhodes; British Conservative politician Nicholas Soames, a grandson of Winston Churchill; and former secretary of state John Kerry. A later article by The Atlantic surfacing in 2020 said Trump had refused to attend and also described the cemetery as being "filled with losers". He subsequently described the report as "fake news".

Three Femen members staged a protest at the Arc de Triomphe on the morning of 10 November welcoming "war criminals", and were arrested by French police. In a later statement, Femen listed Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Benjamin Netanyahu and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as examples of this description, along with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was not invited. The motorcade carrying Trump to the Arc de Triomphe on 11 November passed by a topless woman who ran towards it and was quickly dragged out by French police; Femen later claimed responsibility for the incident.

Aftermath
Anti-Trump demonstrations were held at the Place de la République in response to the US president's visit.

The seating arrangement caused a major controversy in Serbia. As the Serbian army had a pivotal role in forcing both Bulgaria and Austria-Hungary out of the war, with Serbia itself having the most extensive casualties compared to its population number and a historical friendship with France, the positioning of Serbian president Aleksandar Vučić away from the frontline seating areas in place of representatives of countries which were on the opposing side in the war or didn't even exist as separate states at the time, was taken as an insult in Serbia.

Organization
The government of the United Kingdom announced that it would allocate a £19 million package to mark the centenary, with an additional £10 million being added to the annual budget made to the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, while individual local events were coordinated by the Imperial War Museum. The BBC planned a week-long series of dedicated programming across its platforms, as part of its World War I centenary season. In October 2018, the government of the Isle of Man announced a series of commemorative coins.

Timeline
10,000 torches were lit in the moat of the Tower of London beginning on 5 November, in an artistic installation entitled Beyond the Deepening Shadow which would repeat nightly until Armistice Day (11 November). The Shrouds of the Somme, designed by artist Rob Heard and comprising 72,396 shrouded figures representing all servicemen from the British Commonwealth with no known grave, was laid out at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, being on display from 8 to 18 November 2018.

Prime Minister Theresa May visited the Thiepval Memorial in northern France and the St Symphorien Military Cemetery in Belgium on 9 November, laying wreaths at the graves of John Parr and George Edwin Ellison, respectively the first and last British soldiers killed during the war. The wreaths were engraved with handwritten messages from May, invoking wartime poems to express gratitude to the dead for being "staunch to the end". Key members of the royal family, including Queen Elizabeth II, attended the annual Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance on 10 November at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which included performances by Sir Tom Jones and Sheridan Smith.


 * Remembrance Sunday

As Remembrance Sunday in 2018 fell on 11 November, the National Service of Remembrance was held concurrently with other commemorative events in Europe. The service at the Cenotaph in London began at 11 am (GMT), with a two-minute silence being observed, after which the Prince of Wales then laid the first wreath on behalf of the Queen. Thousands were able to pay respect to relatives and soldiers killed in the war during a march past the memorial. Despite ongoing renovations, the Big Ben rang eleven times at 12:30 GMT.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier was invited to attend as a special guest, becoming the first German leader to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph. The invitation was reportedly planned as early as September 2018. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport described his presence as "a symbol of the friendship that exists between the two countries today". A memorial service was held in the evening at Westminster Abbey, which was attended by members of the royal family and Prime Minister Theresa May. During the service, Steinmeier read out a passage from 1 St John 4:7–11 in German.

Similar events were held across the United Kingdom's constituent countries and Crown Dependencies. In Scotland, Princess Anne attended a service at Glasgow Cathedral, while First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and other officials laid wreaths.

Events in other Commonwealth countries
In Australia, a Remembrance Day service was held at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, alongside a national minute of silence in remembrance of Australian soldiers who fought and died in overseas conflicts. Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed a crowd of more than 12,000 attending the ceremony. An extension of the Anzac Memorial in Sydney was opened to the public for the occasion. In addition, over a thousand people attended a commemoration at the Australian National Memorial in the French town of Villers-Bretonneux.

In New Zealand, a national service took place at the Pukeahu National War Memorial Park in Wellington, which was organised as part of the wider New Zealand WW100 commemorations. A 100-gun salute was held at the Wellington waterfront, and two minutes of silence were observed at 11 am (NZDT), followed by a cacophony of noise replicating how the public initially reacted to the news of the armistice a century prior. Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave speeches at the event.

In India, a memorial service was held at the Delhi War Cemetery, where Indian and British delegates laid wreaths. Conservative MP Tom Tugendhat led the British delegation and was joined by Sir Dominic Asquith, British High Commissioner to India, and defence attaché Brigadier Mark Goldsack. In a series of tweets, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Indian troops and pledged to "further an atmosphere of harmony and brotherhood".

In Ghana, a luncheon was organised by the British High Commission and the Ghanaian government on the occasion of Remembrance Day. On the same day, President Nana Akufo-Addo and a group of ex-servicemen observed a two-minute silence. Earlier, Akufo-Addo participated in a wreath-laying ceremony on 2 November at the Christiansborg War Cemetery in Accra, along with Prince Charles, his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Prince Edward, who were touring the country at the time.

Ceremonies in Kenya and Zambia were scheduled for 25 November 2018; German forces fighting in Northern Rhodesia only received news of the armistice on 14 November 1918, three days after it had already came into effect, and eventually surrendered later that month. In Voi, the Commonwealth War Cemetery hosted a small ceremony, which was attended by British and German diplomats; a Kenyan army bugler played the Last Post during the ceremony, and wreaths were laid by a Kenyan general and some local and international visitors. The Zambian government sponsored a centenary event in the town of Mbala organised by the national tourism agency, saying that attraction to the region would unlock the "tourism and investment potential of Northern Province".

Commemorations were also held in Canada.

Events in other locations
Commemorative services took place in Hong Kong, Myanmar, Romania, and Russia.

Belgium
National commemorations were held in the capital of Brussels. In an address, King Philippe pledged to keep "the memory of those who sacrificed themselves for us and the values for which they fought", and to "engage together in building a world of peace." A dove and 11 pigeons were released during the memorial service. In Ypres, a series of tributes to Commonwealth veterans was attended by the Minister-President of Flanders, Geert Bourgeois. The Last Post, traditionally performed nightly at the Menin Gate since 1928, was additionally played at 11 am (CET) to mark the centenary.

Celebrations were held in Mons marking the anniversary of Canadian troops taking over the city from the Germans. The Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada led a recreated 1918 parade through the city.

Germany
Public memorisation was muted, mainly owing to the defeat of the German Empire and the chronology of events resulting from the aftermath of the war. Some events were privately organised, including a religious service at the Berlin Cathedral, and an exhibition showcasing works by 31 international artists representing countries involved in WWI peace negotiations.

Hungary
The Hungarian National Bank released a series of commemorative collector coins on 16 October 2018, which included a silver variant with a face value of 10,000 HUF and a non-ferrous metal variant with a fifth (2,000 HUF) of the face value.

Ireland
A service was held at Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin. It was attended by President Michael D. Higgins, who was to be inaugurated for a second term on the same day, along with representatives of at least 47 countries. The Last Post was played during the ceremony.

Italy
Italian President Sergio Mattarella and key political figures attended a National Unity and Armed Forces Day ceremony in Trieste marking the centenary of the armistice of Villa Giusti with Austria-Hungary. In a speech, Mattarella described the European Union as the "highest expression of a commitment to common good" to prevent future conflicts, and highlighted the history of antisemitism in the region.

Luxembourg
A ceremony was held at the Gëlle Fra monument in the capital during the late afternoon, in the presence of Henri, Grand Duke of Luxembourg, and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa, as well as prime minister Xavier Bettel, who also paid tribute to war casualties.

Poland
The date of 11 November coincided with festivities marking the centenary of the foundation of the Second Polish Republic in 1918 (National Independence Day).

Prominent politicians, including president Andrzej Duda and former prime minister Donald Tusk, attended ceremonies honouring Józef Piłsudski, the founding father of the Second Polish Republic. Many marched in the capital of Warsaw, with one led by Duda, prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki and leader of the ruling Law and Justice party Jarosław Kaczyński. The annual Independence March, organised by nationalist and far-right groups and which coincided with the other marches of the day, was initially banned by Warsaw mayor Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz; the ban was later overturned by a local court.

Vatican City
In remarks made during a weekly Angelus address, Pope Francis appealed for a rejection of a "culture of war", quoting Benedict XV, who served as pope during the majority of the First World War, and reflecting on the occasion of St. Martin's Day, which also fell on 11 November. The bells at St. Peter's Basilica were tolled in the afternoon in unison with other church bells across Europe.

United States
On Veterans Day, the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Missouri hosted a ceremony in which participants and relatives of WWI veterans tolled a "bell of peace" and laid wreaths in memory of those killed in the war. The Washington National Cathedral held a commemorative service, and a gathering took place at the District of Columbia War Memorial.

President Donald Trump proposed that a military parade at the Capitol be held on 10 November to mark the centenary, in admiration of France's Bastille Day military parade (which Trump attended as a guest in 2017). However, Trump cancelled the proposed event in August 2018 over cost concerns, with estimates that the parade would have cost as much as US$92 million.

Dignitaries
The Paris commemorations were attended by over 120 foreign dignitaries, including 72 heads of state and government and representatives of several international organisations. The French presidential office had said that only countries "which sent troops or workers to the European theaters of war" were invited.

France

 * Government
 * Emmanuel Macron, President of France, and Brigitte Macron
 * Nicolas Sarkozy, former President of France (2007–2012)
 * Édouard Philippe, Prime Minister of France
 * Édith Cresson, former Prime Minister (1991–1992)
 * Édouard Balladur, former Prime Minister (1993–1995)
 * Jean-Marc Ayrault, former Prime Minister (2012–2014)
 * Florence Parly, Minister of the Armed Forces
 * Geneviève Darrieussecq, Secretary of State to the Minister of the Armed Forces
 * Christophe Castaner, Minister of the Interior
 * Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs


 * Other
 * Gérard Larcher, President of the French Senate
 * Richard Ferrand, President of the National Assembly
 * Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris
 * Valérie Pécresse, President of the Regional Council of Île-de-France
 * Jacques Toubon, French ombudsman

International
Present at the Arc de Triomphe ceremony unless stated otherwise.


 * Heads of state and members of royal houses
 * Ilir Meta, President of Albania
 * Alexander Van der Bellen, President of Austria, and First Lady Doris Schmidauer
 * Bakir Izetbegović, Chairman and Bosniak member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina
 * Rumen Radev, President of Bulgaria, and First Lady Desislava Radeva
 * Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, President of Burkina Faso
 * Faustin-Archange Touadéra, President of the Central African Republic
 * Idriss Déby, President of Chad, and First Lady Hinda Déby Itno
 * Azali Assoumani, President of Comoros, and First Lady Ambari Assoumani
 * Denis Sassou Nguesso, President of the Republic of the Congo, and First Lady Antoinette Sassou Nguesso
 * Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović, President of Croatia, and First Gentleman Jakov Kitarović
 * Nicos Anastasiades, President of Cyprus, and First Lady Andri Anastasiades
 * Ismaïl Omar Guelleh, President of Djibouti
 * Kersti Kaljulaid, President of Estonia
 * Sauli Niinistö, President of Finland
 * Giorgi Margvelashvili, President of Georgia, and First Lady Maka Chichua
 * Alpha Condé, President of Guinea
 * Guðni Th. Jóhannesson, President of Iceland
 * Sergio Mattarella, President of Italy
 * Alassane Ouattara, President of Ivory Coast, and First Lady Dominique Ouattara
 * Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya
 * Hashim Thaçi, President of Kosovo
 * Raimonds Vējonis, President of Latvia
 * Dalia Grybauskaitė, President of Lithuania
 * George Weah, President of Liberia
 * Fayez al-Sarraj, Chairman of the Presidential Council and Prime Minister of Libya, and Nadia Refaat
 * Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg
 * Gjorge Ivanov, President of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
 * Rivo Rakotovao, acting President of Madagascar
 * Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, President of Mali
 * Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz, President of Mauritania, and First Lady Mariam Mint Ahmed Dit Tekber
 * Igor Dodon, President of Moldova
 * Prince Albert II and Princess Charlene of Monaco
 * Milo Đukanović, President of Montenegro
 * King Mohammed VI of Morocco
 * Crown Prince Moulay Hassan of Morocco
 * Mahamadou Issoufou, President of Niger, and First Lady Lalla Malika Issoufou
 * Muhammadu Buhari, President of Nigeria
 * Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, President of Portugal
 * Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar
 * Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania, and First Lady Carmen Iohannis
 * Vladimir Putin, President of Russia
 * Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda
 * Macky Sall, President of Senegal
 * Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia
 * Andrej Kiska, President of Slovakia
 * Borut Pahor, President of Slovenia
 * King Felipe VI of Spain
 * Alain Berset, President and Head of the Federal Department of Home Affairs of Switzerland, and Muriel Zeender
 * Beji Caid Essebsi, President of Tunisia
 * Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Turkey, and First Lady Emine Erdoğan
 * Petro Poroshenko, President of Ukraine, and First Lady Maryna Poroshenko
 * Donald Trump, President of the United States, and First Lady Melania Trump
 * Tallis Obed Moses, President of Vanuatu, and First Lady Estella Moses


 * Heads of government
 * Ahmed Ouyahia, Prime Minister of Algeria
 * Nikol Pashinyan, Prime Minister of Armenia, and Anna Hakobyan
 * Charles Michel, Prime Minister of Belgium, and Amélie Derbaudrenghien
 * Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
 * Andrej Babiš, Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, and Monika Herodesová
 * Lars Løkke Rasmussen, Prime Minister of Denmark
 * Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany
 * Alexis Tsipras, Prime Minister of Greece
 * Leo Varadkar, Taoiseach of Ireland
 * Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel, and Sara Netanyahu
 * Saad Hariri, Prime Minister of Lebanon
 * Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, and Gauthier Destenay
 * Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands
 * Erna Solberg, Prime Minister of Norway
 * Rami Hamdallah, Prime Minister of Palestine
 * Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain, and Begoña Gómez
 * Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden, and Ulla Löfven
 * Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand, and Naraporn Chan-o-cha


 * Ambassadors
 * Paulo César de Oliveira Campos, Brazilian Ambassador to France
 * Jean Galiev, Kazakhstani Ambassador to France
 * Moin ul Haq, Pakistani Ambassador to France
 * Çary Nyýazow, Turkmenistani Ambassador to France
 * The Lord Llewellyn of Steep, British Ambassador to France
 * Nguyên Thiêp, Vietnamese Ambassador to France


 * Other
 * Sir Peter Cosgrove, Governor-General of Australia, and Lynne, Lady Cosgrove
 * Elmar Mammadyarov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan
 * Tarique Ahmed Siddique, security adviser to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh
 * Mikhail Myasnikovich, Speaker of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of Belarus
 * Aurélien Agbénonci, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin
 * Chea Sophara, Deputy Prime Minister of Cambodia
 * Ji Bingxuan, Vice-Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress of China
 * Epeli Nailatikau, former President of Fiji
 * Régis Immongault, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Gabon
 * Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Cardinal Secretary of State of the Holy See
 * Venkaiah Naidu, Vice-President of India, and Usha Naidu
 * Tarō Asō, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance of Japan
 * Dastan Jumabekov, Speaker of the Parliament of Kyrgyzstan
 * Phankham Viphavanh, Vice-President of Laos
 * Carmelo Abela, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Malta
 * Winston Peters, Deputy Prime Minister of New Zealand, and Jan Trotman
 * Jacek Czaputowicz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland
 * Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula, Minister of Defence of South Africa
 * Shukurjon Zuhurov, Chairman of the Assembly of Representatives of Tajikistan
 * David Lidington, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom
 * Nigmatilla Yuldashev, Chairman of the Senate of Uzbekistan


 * International organisations
 * Moussa Faki, Chairperson of the African Union Commission
 * Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe
 * Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission
 * Antonio Tajani, President of the European Parliament
 * Michaëlle Jean, Secretary-General of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie
 * Guy Ryder, Director-General of the International Labour Organization
 * Christine Lagarde, chair and managing director of the International Monetary Fund
 * Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO
 * José Ángel Gurría, Secretary-General of the OECD
 * Audrey Azoulay, Director-General of UNESCO
 * Paolo Artini, Representative to France of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
 * António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
 * María Fernanda Espinosa, President of the United Nations General Assembly
 * Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General of the World Trade Organization
 * Jim Yong Kim, President of the World Bank Group