Speaking at the reception, President Putin said that Russia and France recognised the primacy of international law and the UN’s key role in solving present-day global issues.
Russia and France, he said, shared a common stand on most world issues, they were true allies in the fight against international terrorism and were at one in preventing an uncontrolled proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Speaking of the results of his negotiations with the French President, Mr Putin noted that the two countries were linked by genuine relations of creative partnership, a partnership established in the name of a united, prosperous and stable Europe, in the name of stability and security in the world.
Cooperation in Europe was a special aspect of Russian-French dialogue, he said. The Russia-EU strategic partnership was a system-forming element of pan-European stability and international progress. It was in the general interest to establish common spaces of security, economy, energy, science and culture, he stressed.