PARIS - France and Germany on Sunday pledged to deepen bilateral cooperation, on the occasion of the 55th anniversary of the signing of the Elysee Treaty of friendship and cooperation between Paris and Berlin.

"Our ambition is to define common positions on all important European and international issues," French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a joint statement released by the French presidency on Sunday.

The Elysee Treaty was signed by former French President Charles de Gaulle and former German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer on Jan 22, 1963. The treaty, a major event in the history of France-Germany relations, remains the basis of a broad and trust-based cooperation between the two countries.

"Since then, the France-Germany friendship has been a pillar of European integration," the statement said.

The two leaders also pledged to develop bilateral cooperation in various fields.

France and Germany "will explore ways to more effectively promote the common France-Germany interests and values, particularly within the framework of common administrative and diplomatic mechanisms, in multilateral institutions ... within and outside the European Union," the statement said.

It added that the two countries "will study and jointly propose effective policies and new technological approaches, particularly in the areas of climate protection, energy, mobility, biotechnology and artificial intelligence."