MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated French counterpart Francois Hollande with the France's National Day on Thursday and called Paris Moscow's leading partner in Europe and in the world in general, the Kremlin press service said.
"Over decades our countries have developed a huge potential for mutually beneficial cooperation in many spheres," Putin said as quoted by the press service.
Putin expressed confidence that the Russia-France relations will be further developing in a positive way to strengthen international stability and security.
Thursday marks 227 years since the storming of the Bastille prison in Paris, just days into the 1789 French Revolution. The day has become the most important national holiday in France. As a result of the French Revolution, which lasted for a decade, France passed through a far-reaching social and political transformation, including the overthrow of the monarchy and establishment of the republic.
