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France, Russia can boost trade turnover, Franco-Russian Dialogue head says

“Moscow has very good chances and should become a new financial centre,” Trubetskoy said

PARIS, March 29 (Itar-Tass) —— The Franco-Russian Dialogue Association believes that France and Russia can boost bilateral trade turnover that already reached a record high level in 2011.

“Trade turnover between France and Russia has reached 30 billion U.S. dollars,” Association Head Alexander Trubetskoy told Itar-Tass. “There are all grounds to believe that we will exceed that level this year.”

Among major events in 2011 he named the agreement on Mistral helicopter carriers and the start of tourist cluster construction in the North Caucasus.

He believes that new technologies and communications are among key areas of cooperation. “The world cannot exist without communications today,” he added.

“Moscow has very good chances and should become a new financial centre,” Trubetskoy said.

The Franco-Russian Dialogue Association was founded in 2004 by French President Jacques Chirac and Russian President Vladimir Putin. It brings together members of the business elites of the two countries and seeks to create optimal conditions for strategic partnership, industrial, economic and cultural interaction between Paris and Moscow.

Its Russian co-chairman is Russian Railways Company CEO Vladimir Yakunin.