St Petersburg, June 28: Relations between France and Russia remain strong, French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin told his Russian counterpart Mikhail Kasyanov today at the start of a three-day visit to this former imperial city. "Our relations are friendly, they are strategic and they have recently gone through important steps, both in the bilateral and multilateral fields," Raffarin said after arriving in Russia's second city, which this year celebrates its 300th anniversary. Kasyanov, for his part, said that the two countries had "Very close ties in the 18th century" and "these ties remain very close". Relations between France and Russia warmed up considerably during the run-up to the US-led war against Iraq, which both Moscow and Paris opposed.
In their first meeting on Saturday, Kasyanov and Raffarin prepared for a Franco-Russian summit set to take place in October in the Russian capital, with a focus on the energy sector.


Raffarin began his visit to the former capital of imperial Russia, whose high society once spoke French more than it did Russian, with a stop at the national library whose collection includes some 6,800 voltaire books that Russia's Catherine II purchased after the French philosopher's death.


Raffarin is due to take part in several cultural events during his visit.

Bureau Report