Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Francois Hollande, who was declared winner of the presidential race in France, the Kremlin press service said on Monday.
“We truly value the traditions of the Russian-French partnership and I would like to confirm my readiness for proactive joint work to strengthen it furtherrns,” Putin, who was inaugurated as Russian president earlier today, said in his telegram to Hollande.
Hollande, an opposition leader of the French Socialist Party, was elected France’s new president. He was supported by 51.62 percent of the voters, while incumbent President Nicolas Sarkozy got 48.38 percent in the runoff presidential vote on May 6.
Hollande will be France's first Socialist president since Francois Mitterrand who served two seven-year terms in 1981-1995.
He will be sworn in as French president on May 15.
