“Our presence here is not innocent, and our history has been written... with deeply painful pages,” Macron said during a remembrance ceremony at the former royal palace in the capital Antananarivo.
“Only you can make this journey of forgiveness,” he said after touring the palace with Princess Fenosoa Ralandison Ratsimamanga.
“But we are creating the conditions for it, by making it possible... to mourn what is no longer.”
Madagascar was under French colonial rule from 1896 until 1960, when it gained full independence.
Macron confirmed plans to return cultural items taken during colonization, including the skull of King Toera – who was decapitated by French troops in 1897 and whose remains were taken to France as a trophy.
The French head of state called for a collaboration between historians from both countries so that "truth, memory, history and reconciliation can see the light of day."
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