French president Emmanuel Macron has invited Iliana Iotova to the ninth Paris Peace Forum.

The Bulgarian head of state will also join the Summit for Children, which is part of the forum. The summit wants young people, their development, well-being and protection, to become a leading issue worldwide, at a time when many threats put peace at risk.

Iotova is due to meet the director general of UNESCO and the secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.

This year, 350 heads of state and government are taking part, along with people from business and non-governmental groups.

The forum aims to stress the need for international co-operation to settle conflicts and on issues such as development, climate change and high technology. Its motto is "From sovereignty to cooperation".