"Napoleon is part of us," Macron said during a televised speech at the Institut de France in Paris.
The French leader called Bonaparte a strategist, legislator and builder, noting that "this part of France conquered the world."
At the same time, he recalled the sacrifices that accompanied his era.
Since then, according to Macron, France has "put the value of human life above everything, whether in wars or pandemics."
Then Macron, accompanied by his wife Brigitte, laid flowers at the grave of Napoleon in the House of Invalids.