President Vladimir Putin met with City Mayor Alain Juppe. During their talks and breakfast at the City Hall, Mr Putin and Mr Juppe said Russian regions and Bordeaux were expanding their cooperation in different spheres, including the aerospace sector, scientific research, culture and tourism. The Mayor of Bordeaux stressed that Russia had become a strategic partner for the regional economy.
Alain Juppe, one of the most popular French politicians, served as Foreign Minister and Prime Minister in the mid-1990s and helped pioneer new Russian-French relations. Currently, Alain Juppe heads the ruling Union for a Popular Movement.
See also
State Visit to France
February 10 − 12, 2003