MOSCOW, November 23. /TASS/. The outcomes of the elections in the US, Bulgaria and Moldova as well as the balance of forces in the run-up to the French presidential election are a sign of "tectonic shifts" in global politics, speaker of Russia’s Federation Council (upper house of parliament), Valentina Matviyenko, told a board meeting of the Integration Club at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) on Wednesday.
"Tectonic shifts are occurring in international relations," she said. "I have in mind not only Donald Trump’s unexpected victory in the US presidential race but also the recent elections in Bulgaria and Moldova and what is happening today to a potential French presidential candidate."
According to the senator, this is a sign of "real profound changes" reflected, in particular, in tremendous i
nterest in Russia, "willingness to keep up the dialogue, the desire to get first-hand information on Russia’s stance" on various issues.
"It is impossible not to note the increased interest in the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU)," Matviyenko stressed, adding that it is becoming particularly relevant in light of remarks by the US president-elect on Washington’s withdrawal "from the Transatlantic Partnership, statements by EU officials on the suspension of talks on the Euro-Atlantic Trade Partnership." "By and large, there is a reinterpretation of everything that has happened in recent years, and we realize that a decision on the Eurasian Economic Union was absolutely correct and timely," she stated.
France will hold the presidential election in April or May 2017. According to forecasts, the candidate from the center-right political parties is most likely to win the presidential race.