MOSCOW, November 10 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin called French President Jacques Chirac Thursday to express sympathy and support for the French government and people in connection with the ongoing riots in the country, the Kremlin press service said Thursday.
"The Russian president said he was convinced that measures taken in France that had already yielded visible results that would help finally stabilize the situation in the country in the near future," the press service said.
The two leaders also discussed key bilateral issues and Russia's upcoming G8 presidency.
"Chirac praised Russia's preparations for the [G8] summit in St. Petersburg scheduled for the summer of 2006," the press service said.
