France will never forget

French Prime Minister: "France will never forget those who fell for her"

From CNN's Joshua Berlinger in Paris

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal said in a speech during the Canadian commemoration of the 80th anniversary of D-Day that France is eternally grateful for the sacrifices Canadian and other Allied soldiers made.

Speaking at Juno Beach, where 14,000 Canadian troops landed on D-Day, Attal said that France's gratitude is both "eternal" and "infinite."

"France will never forget those who fell for her. Never will she forget that on this sand, the blood of Canadian youth was spilled for our freedom," he said.

"The memory of veterans of World War II will never fade away," Attal added. "Never will the flame of heroism weaken."

Attal also addressed his relative youth -- he is just 35 years old and became France's youngest-ever prime minister earlier this year -- and how his generation was able to enjoy a life without war due to the sacrifices of World War II veterans.

"I belong to a generation who has never known war. A generation whose parents didn't know war. A generation that grew up under the signs of freedom and liberty," Attal said. "History is a lesson for the future and today, more than ever, we need to hear and listen as war knocks once again on Europe's doorstop."