Joint Statement by Presidents Sarkozy and Medvedev following the Bilateral Meeting between France and Russia

Nicolas Sarkozy, president of the French Republic, et
Dmitry Medvedev, president of the Russian Federation
Deauville, May 26, 2011
[Version français]

Nicolas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic

joint Statement by Presidents Sarkozy and Medvedev following the bilateral meeting between France and Russia Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great honour and a great pleasure to receive President Medvedev here in Deauville to launch the G8 Summit.

Relations between Russia and France are in good shape. I believe I can say there is a great deal of trust between our two countries and our two governments.

We have raised all the subjects and we will have the opportunity to discuss them again throughout the day, but I can already tell you that we have finalized an agreement on the two landing helicopter docks built in France and the two landing helicopter docks built in Russia. We have settled the details concerning the contract and its signature, so the signing will take place in the next two weeks.

I would like to say once again that I firmly believe, as does France, that the Cold War is over, the Berlin Wall has fallen, and that we should see Russia as a friend and together work toward building a vast area of security and prosperity.

We have discussed all the major international issues. Our global vision is along the same lines; and on issues where differences may arise, we have decided to take initiatives together. We will have the opportunity to talk about this over the coming hours and days.

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Dmitri Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation

Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to thank my friend Nicolas Sarkozy for receiving us today in Deauville, which is an excellent location for both our bilateral meeting and the G8 Summit.

I agree entirely with Nicolas that Russia and France have an excellent relationship and we have a personal relationship built on trust. I believe this is very important for the development of France and Russia, for Europe and the world as a whole.

Today, we have discussed all the international issues. As you can imagine, there are many things to talk about, there are many complex problems, but we have discussed our opinions in a spirit of openness and we will continue to do so today at the summit meetings.

I believe that the G8 is a very good format in which to discuss these sorts of matters, but when France chairs the G8, these opportunities increase one hundredfold.

Today, we have finalized our positions on the contract soon to be signed on the delivery of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers. The other two will be built in Russia. Today, we have concluded these negotiations, which is extremely important for relations between Russia and France, and we will soon sign the final contract.

I am sure that we will have many more opportunities to discuss all these issues in the corridors in between plenary sessions.

I hope this summit will be a success, that it will be useful, and I would like to thank the French President for hosting it.

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Source: French Presidency of the G8 and G20

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