MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Moscow is ready to resume the mechanisms of interstate cooperation with France, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Tuesday after holding talks with French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Yves Le Drian.
"From the Russian side, we are ready to launch again the mechanisms of interstate cooperation that were frozen for the last four years. We have briefly discussed trade and economic cooperation. Last year after a sharp fall the trade turnover showed a rising trend, and this trend continued in the first months of this year. We have agreed to promote further efforts in this direction, especially since a strong interest in further cooperation from the part of the business community is observed," Lavrov said.
"I think that the conversation was very useful. My counterpart invited me to visit Paris at a convenient time, so we do not lose pace in the implementation of our presidents' agreements reached at the meeting in Versailles. I am convinced that both we and our members of staff will do our best to substantively work on what we agree upon," Lavrov added.
