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French election's outcome won't enhance relations with Moscow, Russian expert warns

Emmanuel Macron won Sunday’s run-off presidential election with 66.1% (more than 20.7 million votes)

French President-elect Emmanuel Macron AP Photo/Christophe Ena

French President-elect Emmanuel Macron

© AP Photo/Christophe Ena

MOSCOW, May 10. /TASS/. The results of the French presidential election will not improve relations with Russia, Director of the International Institute of the Newly Established States, Alexei Martynov, said today at a round table discussion devoted to the French presidential election.

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"There may be improvements in Russian-French relations, but not just because of France or Macron," he noted. "If Russia’s relations with the European Union and Germany change, its relations with France may change as well."

As Martynov put it, that means that the autonomous policy France was so proud of does not exist anymore. "Macron has no policy of his own, as he is supported by the EU's bureaucracy and will always follow its instructions."

Executive Director of the Institut des Libertes, Emmanuelle Gave, confirmed that the new president lacks an independent foreign policy. "It will be a miracle if Macron pursues a foreign policy of his own," she said. "He is totally dependent on Berlin and Angela Merkel."

The French expert noted that the elected president is neither willing nor able to pursue a tight policy towards Berlin, "so he will continue siding with Europe and criticizing Putin and even Trump."

Emmanuel Macron won Sunday’s run-off presidential election with 66.1% (more than 20.7 million votes) against 33.9% (10.6 million votes) taken by Marine Le Pen, head of France’s National Front, the French interior ministry reported.

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France's first lady Brigitte Macron

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French presidential election 2017

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