"Nice has been Yalta's sister city for years. By reviving this partnership we wanted to extend our friendship to and voice support for our sister city and the Crimea Peninsula," he told Sputnik. "I don't see anything that could prevent us from continuing the dialogue."
The French official has also reaffirmed that Crimea is part of Russia, calling the peninsula "a traditionally Russian region."
A delegation from Yalta spent five days in the capital of the French Riviera from February 26 to March 1.
For his part, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi has confirmed that he will visit Crimea despite the fact that the French government does not recognize the peninsula as part of Russia. The visit is scheduled to take place in May.
"Mayor of Nice Christian Estrosi and I have always said that we are Russia's friends," Salles emphasized, adding that the Western sanctions and Moscow's countermeasures are harmful both for Europeans, and Russians. "This situation threatens friendship with Russia. For us this is unacceptable."
