"Surely, the invitation remains valid… I think that the year of 2017 can become very successful for the visit, because we will celebrate the three-hundredth anniversary of the Grand Embassy of Peter the Great to Paris, the moment which opened French-Russian diplomatic relations," Ripert told RIA Novosti.
Putin canceled his visit to Paris scheduled for October 19 due to a scheduling conflict, while remaining open to meeting French President Francois Hollande at the latter's convenience. Putin stressed that Syrian problem was not on top of the agenda of the visit, noting that France was not that deeply involved in the Syrian crisis settlement, while the French leader said that he was ready to discuss the Syrian issue, but was not inclined to attend other scheduled events.
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