PARIS, June 14. /TASS/. Russia hopes France will return to the ranks of "friendly nations," meanwhile Moscow will continue building mutually beneficial relations with "friends" in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, Alexey Meshkov, Russia’s ambassador to Paris said on Tuesday.
"Russia has always been a major Eurasian power and will remain so," Meshkov said, addressing a reception at the Embassy in Paris to mark Russia Day. "We have friends all over the world - in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. We also have friends in Europe. I am positive, France will return to the ranks of nations friendly to Russia."
Moscow’s relations with France are unfortunately going through hard times, the diplomat said. "It makes us sad to see Paris arming Ukraine, especially with heavy offensive weapons, which are used to kill people," Meshkov emphasized.
The European Union’s sanctions have also struck a serious blow to ties between Moscow and Paris, he pointed out. Trade turnover has shrunk dramatically, while French companies had to leave Russia, leaving behind lucrative projects there, he added.
"I am positive, these [hard] times will pass, since relations between our countries have for centuries played an extremely important role in global politics," the ambassador said, adding that Russia would focus on accelerating the development of its own infrastructure, economy, technologies, and independent financial system, while remaining open to a broad international cooperation.