Chiraq lauds ‘great years for Russia’ under Putin
On his first trip abroad as prime minister, Vladimir Putin met Friday with former French president Jacques Chirac who praised his time in the Kremlin as “great years for Russia.”
Putin met Chirac at his Paris hotel just two weeks before the former French leader is due in Moscow to receive Russia’s highest honour, in recognition of his efforts to consolidate Franco-Russian relations.
Ties between France and Russia are “expanding very well,” Putin said as he greeted Chirac.
“I thank you for the solid foundation you created for this,” said the Russian leader, who stepped down as president on May 7 and handed over to his protege Dmitry Medvedev.
Chirac expressed his “very deep friendship” toward Putin, adding: “My esteem comes from the remarkable manner in which you governed affairs in Russia.”
“These 10 years have been, unquestionably, great years for Russia,” said Chirac. Putin served eight years as president and two years as prime minister under Boris Yeltsin.
His comments were seen as placating criticism that Putin had rolled back democracy in Russia by stifling the opposition and shutting down independent media during his presidency.
Chirac added there could be no “balance in the world without a strong Russia”.
During his 12 years in office, Chirac defended what he termed as the need for a multi-polar world — a stance applauded by Putin and widely seen as diplomatic code for opposing US hegemony.
In a sign of the Russian leader’s continuing clout since stepping down as head of state, Putin also met with French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
“Fears about the human rights situation in Russia are exaggerated,” Putin told reporters after a working dinner at the Elysee palace with Sarkozy, and accused Moscow’s critics of using the issue as “an instrument of pressure”.
“Energy security in Europe depends on calm relations with Russia,” Putin said, referring to concern in western Europe that Russia might try to exploit its gas and oil supplies to western Europe for political purposes.
In a noticeable shift in t