Moscow: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will visit France on March 1-3 in order to discuss a range of international and bilateral issues with French top officials, the Russian president’s aid has said.
Medvedev is expected to meet with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, Prime Minister Francois Fillon, Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, the heads of the French Senate and National Assembly, Gerard Larcher and Philippe Seguin, during his stay in Paris, Sergei Prikhodko said.
The agenda of the talks includes Russian-French economic, military and humanitarian cooperation and Russia’s accession to the WTO.
The parties are also expected to focus on the overcoming of the world economic crisis, a new European security treaty, and the situation in Afghanistan during the talks.
The Russian delegation includes some 80 top businessmen.
Medvedev’s visit will mark the official start of the Year of Russia in France and France in Russia.
Russian-French trade turnover has risen by more than five times in 2003-2008. Despite the world economic crisis, French investments in the Russian economy accounted for $10.4 billion in 2009.
Russia and France are partners in the Nord Stream and the South Stream gas pipeline projects, intended to reduce Russia’s dependence on transit countries when pumping natural gas to Western Europe. Russia pumps some 10 billion cubic meters of gas to France annually.
Russia is in talks with France to buy a French Mistral-class amphibious assault ship worth 400-500 million euros (around $540-$675 million). The French government has approved the sale but Russia has not yet made a final decision. A source in the Russian Defense Ministry earlier said the deal is not expected to be signed during Medvedev’s visit to France.
The two countries also cooperate in space exploration. A contract to launch 10 Russian Soyuz-ST carrier rockets from the Kourou space center in French Guiana was signed by Russia’s space agency and French satellite launch firm Arianespace in 2008. The first launch is likely to take place this year.
In February, Russia won a tender for a plot of land in downtown Paris and will build a spiritual and cultural center on the banks of the Seine River near the Eiffel Tower.
Russia and France are also expected to discuss the Iranian controversial nuclear program during Medvedev’s visit to Paris.
Russia has opposed new sanctions against the Islamic republic over its recent decision to begin enriching uranium to 20% purity. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in late February that there was no hard proof that Iran was working on nuclear weapons, but Tehran has to clarify several key issues on its nuclear program to avoid fresh international action.
