France's president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy will begin his journey into international diplomacy by meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who is set to leave office after a decade. Both leaders, in their 50s, have a good relationship and share similar views on various issues, such as proposing a revised European constitutional treaty following its rejection by French voters in 2005. Their discussions, scheduled to begin at 1530 GMT after Blair meets with outgoing President Jacques Chirac, will focus on upcoming important European Union and G8 meetings. Blair's spokesman mentioned that the talks with Sarkozy will address key international events like the EU treaty and G8 discussions on climate change and the Gleneagles agenda follow-up. Blair, who will step down on June 27, made a rare gesture by publicly welcoming Sarkozy's election in a French tribute video posted on YouTube. He stated that the success of the right-winger presents a great opportunity for Britain and France to collaborate in the future. Sarkozy is pushing for a less ambitious treaty to be passed by parliament and has rejected the idea of holding another referendum on the constitution. Blair's spokesman mentioned that he does not speak on behalf of Nicolas Sarkozy and that they will discuss this issue. The prime minister is in favor of an amended treaty rather than a full constitution. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who Sarkozy will meet with next week, has made reviving the charter a priority during her EU presidency. Sarkozy has emphasized his commitment to repairing the strained relations with the United States and Britain that resulted from France's strong stance against the Iraq war. He has prioritized improving ties with Washington and London, while also recognizing the significance of the traditional alliance with Germany, as evidenced by his upcoming visit to Berlin on the day he assumes office. According to German government spokesman Thomas Steg, this visit is seen as a strong indication of Franco-German friendship.