MOSCOW, October 21 (RIA Novosti) – The president of the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry Emmanuel Quidet says Christophe de Margerie really loved Russia and its people, and that he believed in Russia’s future and in the future of Total in the country.
“I have known the CEO of the French energy company Total Christophe de Margerie very well, because he and Gennady Timchenko, his partner in Russia, were the co-chairmen of the Economic Council of the Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce,” he told Radio VR. “I talked with Christophe de Margerie yesterday, some 5-6 hours before the crash.”
Emmanuel Quidet said Christophe de Margerie participated in a closed meeting of the investment advisory council with Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and he talked directly to the head of the government before preparing to leave the city. We all know the end of the story.
“Christophe de Margerie was really very much involved in the relationships between Russia and Total,” Quidet added. “He really believed in the future of Russia and in the future of Total in Russia. Because of his personal involvement in the relationship with Novotek and Gennady Timchenko personally, with Lukoil, he kept saying how important Russia was for the [Total] group.”
“But more than that, Christophe de Margerie really loved Russia and the Russians and one could feel it when we talked to him,” said Quidet.
Russian-French relations will be definitely affected emotionally, supposed Emmanuel Quidet. But he hopes that everything that was put in place thanks to Christophe de Margerie will remain, and that France and Russia will go on working together and will make sure that Russian-French relations will continue despite the tragic accident.
Christophe de Margerie kept saying we will never solve the political situation if we don’t talk to each other, concluded the head of Franco-Russian Chamber of Commerce and industry.
