David Cameron and Nicolas Sarkozy have insisted they enjoy "excellent" relations as they attempted to move on from a series of high-profile spats.
Speaking at a press conference in Paris on Friday morning, the French president said there were particularly strong ties in defence, foreign affairs and energy policy.
Sarkozy heaped personal praise on Cameron, describing him as "very brave man" and insisted despite some policy differences there had never been any personal animosity between the two leaders.
The trip was marked with the signing of a landmark pact between Britain and France to co-operate on civil nuclear energy, paving the way for the construction of a new generation of power plants in the UK.
The summit was designed to bring about a more 'cordiale' relationship between the two leaders, which has been marked by tension over the past few months.
Cameron's decision to withdraw Britain from a fiscal compact in the eurozone, as well as a downgrade of France's credit rating, has left relations between the two men strained.
Sarkozy famously delivered 'le snub' to the prime minister following Cameron's late night veto, as well as reportedly telling Cameron to "shut up" in October.
"I speak from the heart when I say I wish to pay tribute to the courage of the prime minister when it came to tackling the Libyan crisis," Sarkozy said.
"David Cameron was from the very first second convinced we needed to act and we could not leave a dictator with blood on his hands to continue to martyr his people."
He said that the two men had stood "side by side, sometimes in isolation, but always together".
Returning the complements, Cameron said the French president was instrumental in toppling Colonel Gaddafi in Libya.
"If not for leadership of Nicolas Sarkozy we wouldn't have now people who are free to choose their own future," Cameron said.
"When you look across the foreign policy and defence policy issues we have discussed today I don't think there has been closer French-British cooperation than at any time since the Second World War."
The prime minister also wished Sarkozy well in the "battle" he had ahead in the French presidential elections, although he said his presence on the campaign trail may do more harm than good when asked if he would make appearances.
"Let me be cheeky," he said. "As I said I admire Nicolas Sarkozy's courage, I think he has achieved great things.
"But I'm not all together sure if I made them on the campaign trail in France they would have the effect my friend would want them to have."