Moscow Following French Electoral Campaign, Hopes Relations Will Further Develop

Moscow is following the electoral campaign in France, where presidential elections will take place in April, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Aleksey Meshkov told Sputnik.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Meshkov stressed it was diplomatic services’ job to keep track of international developments. He added Russian-French economic ties had deepened last year, with trade turnover rising by 19 percent since 2015.

"I would be lying if I said we weren’t following it… We hope that the Russia-France relations will develop positively and gradually," Meshkov said.

"It is a good result compared to dynamics in trade with other countries," the diplomat said. "The rise was mainly due to increased French exports to our country."

The first round of the presidential election in France will be held on April 23, with a runoff slated for May 7. The latest projections put National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen in the lead. She is followed by ex-Economy Minister Emmanuel Macron and The Republicans’ Francois Fillon.

Le Pen has advocated closer relations with Russia. Russia's Ambassador to the European Union Vladimir Chizhov told Sputnik on Wednesday that the victory of a Russia-leaning candidate in France could mark a thaw in Russia-EU ties. This would be solidified by a similar outcome in Germany’s parliamentary elections this fall, he predicted.