Russian-French council for cooperation on security problems being set up

Strategic stability and disarmament will be priority issues in organising a Russian-French Council for Cooperation on Security Problems. As the information and press department of the Russian Foreign Ministry reported, an agreement on this was achieved at the meeting between Deputy Foreign Minister, Political Director of the Russian Federation in the Group of Eight Countries, Georgy Mamedov, and French Ambassador in Moscow Claude Blanchemaison. At the present time France is the chairman in the Group of Eight Countries.

In the course of their conversation, the two high-ranking diplomats paid special attention to ensuring strategic stability, cooperation in strengthening the regimes of the non-proliferation of weapons and the solution of a number of the aggravated international problems against the background of the intensified anti-terrorist fight in different regions of the world.

The Russian-French Council for Cooperation on Security Problems is being created on the initiative of the Russian and French Presidents. On July 8, this year, the Foreign Ministers of the two countries signed the Joint Statement on the creation of the Council. Its activity will be aimed at ensuring a closer coordination of the positions and actions of the two countries in the sphere of international security and strategic stability, the fight against international terrorism and other new threats and challenges.

The first session of the Russian-French Council will take place in Paris at the level of Foreign and Defence Ministers in the autumn, this year.