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Attitude towards Russia in French society gradually improving — Russian envoy

Alexey Meshkov stressed "positive aspects in terms of economic cooperation with a number of French companies"

PARIS, November 24. /TASS/. Attitude towards Russia in French society is gradually shifting for the better, but it is too early to talk about the resumption of political dialogue, Russian Ambassador to Paris Alexey Meshkov told TASS.

"Toward the end of the year, the attitude began to change in French society. It has certainly not reached a critical mass yet, but we can feel as ties are improving at various levels," the ambassador said. However, Meshkov pointed to the lack of a sustainable dialogue at the political level. "We do maintain contact, it’s true, but it would be an exaggeration to talk about the resumption of permanent dialogue," he emphasized.

The diplomat stressed "positive aspects in terms of economic cooperation with a number of French companies." He noted that everyone suffered from the breakdown of ties, but considering the situation "in material terms, the French and Europe suffered the most." Meshkov recalled that a few years ago, Russia's trade turnover with the EU was about $430 bln, but now it has fallen to $200 bln.

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