(Bloomberg) -- French President Emmanuel Macron offered a political boost to the fraught partnership between Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co, calling their car-making alliance an industrial flagship that should be strengthened.

The combination is “a giant and a force that must not only be preserved but developed through synergies and alliances in all their forms to make it stronger in the face of international competition,” he said Wednesday.

In a speech to the French community in Tokyo, Macron also recalled that in coming to the rescue of Nissan two decades ago, Renault had respected “traditions and balances.” He will meet Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe later in the day.

The talks between the countries’ leaders will come at a difficult time for Renault and Nissan, whose relationship has degenerated into an open struggle for power since the arrest in November of former Chairman Carlos Ghosn. The French state is Renault’s most powerful shareholder and its presence on the board has long created friction with Nissan, which is pushing for a lowering of the stake.

Fixing the troubled alliance took on new urgency this month following the collapse of merger talks between Renault and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV. The French carmaker held the discussions behind Nissan’s back, and in a last-minute maneuver the government scuppered a planned deal, saying a clear backing by the Japanese company was missing.

On Tuesday, Nissan Chief Executive Officer Hiroto Saikawa said the company will speed up talks to strengthen the two-decade-old partnership, which is defined by a lopsided shareholding structure. Renault holds a 43% stake in Nissan with voting rights and Nissan has 15% in the French company without them.

Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard, who is traveling with Macron, has pushed for a merger with Nissan, which also irked the Japanese company. French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire has said repairing the alliance should be a priority for the carmakers, while Senard has expressed deep disappointment at the collapse of the planned tie-up with Fiat.

To contact the reporters on this story: Gregory Viscusi in Paris at gviscusi@bloomberg.net;Ania Nussbaum in Paris at anussbaum5@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Anthony Palazzo at apalazzo@bloomberg.net, Tara Patel, Frank Connelly

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