PARIS, March 6, 2004. (RIA Novosti) - The heads of Russian and French armed forces' General Staffs will have a conference in Moscow in March. Michelle Alliot-Marie, French Minister of Defence, made this statement at a press conference after the third session of Russian-French Council on Security Issues.
According to her, military cooperation between Russia and France is developing in three directions: coordination of strategic aspects and permanent consultations, joint exercises (this year representatives of the Russian Defence Ministry will attend war games), and cooperation in the sphere of armaments.
Talking about joint exercises, Ms. Alliot-Marie mentioned that Russian troops will take part in the joint Russian-French Air Force events dedicated to the anniversary of the Normandie-Nieman regiment.
As for the cooperation in the sphere of armaments, Alliot-Marie explained, this concerns the development of helicopters and combat aircraft.
