In his telegram of congratulations, the President said, in particular:
“The French people have entrusted you with the task of heading your country at this difficult and very important time when not only Europe but the entire global community faces the urgent task of overcoming the consequences of the financial and economic crisis and building new models for cooperation.
In this era of globalisation, the problems and challenges that the world faced earlier – proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, international terrorism, trans-border crime and drug trafficking, natural and manmade disasters – become even more pressing and require us to unite and coordinate our efforts. Cooperation on addressing these challenges will produce results only if it is based on strict respect of international law and the principle of indivisible security.
It makes me happy to see that the strategic cooperation between our two countries fits fully with these principles. Russian-French cooperation is developing well and in constructive spirit on the basis of friendship and the mutual sympathy and respect of our peoples. Our political dialogue is broadening, as are our mutually advantageous ties in the economy, science and technology, culture, and other fields.
We genuinely value the traditions of Russian-French partnership. I want to confirm my readiness to work actively together with you to continue strengthening this partnership.”