OREANDA-NEWS. September 7, 2011. At the meeting with foreign ministers Sergei Lavrov and Alain Juppe and defence ministers Anatoly Serdyukov and Gerard Longuet, the President discussed the main issues on the bilateral agenda, the mechanisms and principles for guaranteeing strategic security, and the prospects for deepening Russian-French interaction in the framework of Russia-EU and Russia-NATO contacts. 

Mr Medvedev noted that these regular meetings between the two countries’ foreign and defence ministers are a useful format. The Council meetings provide opportunities for effective discussions on international cooperation and sensitive security issues, and this is important for the big countries and close partners that are Russia and France, the President said.

The Russian-French Security Cooperation Council was established in 2002 at the decision of the two country’s presidents. The Council meets every six months, alternately in Moscow and Paris.