State visit
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A state visit is a formal visit by a head of state to a foreign country, at the invitation of the head of state of that foreign country, with the latter also acting as the official host for the duration of the state visit. Speaking for the host, it is generally called a state reception. State visits are considered to be the highest expression of friendly bilateral relations between two sovereign states, and are in general characterised by an emphasis on official public ceremonies.
Pope Francis with President Benigno Aquino III heading towards the Malacañan Palace during the Pope's pastoral and state visit to the Philippines in January 2015
The Review in Windsor Great Park in Honour of the Shah of Persia, 24 June 1873 (Nicholas Chevalier, 1877). Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, the first Iranian monarch to make state visits to Europe, visited Queen Victoria twice.
The Governor General's Foot Guards mounting the guard of honour during state visits of Italian President Sergio Mattarella
The Beijing Garrison Honor Guard with the Order of Friendship, an award occasionally given during state visits
Head of state
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A head of state is the public persona of a sovereign state. The specific naming of the head of state depends on the country's form of government and separation of powers; the head of state may be a ceremonial figurehead or concurrently the head of government and more.
Grassalkovich Palace in Bratislava is the seat of the President of Slovakia.
King Harald V of Norway
Charles de Gaulle, President and head of state of the French Fifth Republic (1959–1969)
George Washington, the first president of the United States, set the precedent for an executive head of state in republican systems of government