ST. PETERSBURG, May 25. /TASS/. French President Emmanuel Macron would like Russia to remain a member of the Council of Europe, as he himself said at the plenary session of the of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

"I would like Russia to remain in the Council of Europe," he said.

"We should maintain dialogue with everyone, we have common roots. We need to work on new projects. We must also work on a new economic and social model that would help improve the standards of living," Macron noted.

Russia and France must work together to build an atmosphere of trust, he said. 

"I want us to work arm-in-arm to build an atmosphere of trust," he said at a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

"We must bridge the gaps and, despite all the shocks, we must re-build partnership," he stressed.