Russian-French talks in Moscow outline issues to dominate President Chirac's upcoming Russian visit Agenda

Issues related to an upcoming visit to Russia by President Jacques Chirac of France are dominating Russian-French talks Moscow is hosting on Monday.

Russia attaches great significance to relationships with France, which is its special and long-established political partner, Igor Ivanov, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said as opening a meeting with his French counterpart Dominique de Villepin. Mr Ivanov then pointed to President Chirac's recent pronouncement to the effect that France was going to make French-Russian partnership more globally oriented. Moscow approves of such an approach, said the minister.

Mr de Villepin, on his part, said he was glad to be visiting Moscow both as a private person and as a diplomat. Russia occupies a special place in France's heart, he said emphatically.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is to meet President Jacques Chirac in Sochi, Russia's Black Sea resort city, on July 19-20, Sergei Prikhodko, deputy chief of Kremlin staff, told reporters Friday.