MOSCOW, September 5 (RIA Novosti) - Russia and France have confirmed their commitment to further cooperation in all current and future bilateral projects, the Russian Energy Ministry said in a statement Friday.
"During the session, both sides exchanged views and positions on bilateral cooperation in the energy sector and discussed joint projects in the oil and gas sector, the electric power industry and energy efficiency," the statement, released in a followup of the 16th session of the Russian-French Working Group on Energy, said.
Representatives from the French business sector also expressed their willingness to cooperate with Russia.
Christophe de Margerie, the head of major French oil and gas operator Total, said that Europe should not allow anyone to persuade them that Russia is the enemy.
“If the Americans want to escalate the conflict for historical or political reasons, it is their decision. Europeans should find a different way of solving the crisis, without polarizing everything in black and white … I would not be a good CEO, if I destroyed everything that we have achieved in Russia, due to the current situation,” de Margerie told German Sueddeutschen Zeitung paper.
On Wednesday, the office of French President Francois Hollande released a statement saying that the premier concluded that the conditions that Paris needs to authorize the delivery of the first helicopter carrier are not in place.
Later, a French diplomatic source told RIA Novosti that the delivery of the ship was not postponed and that the statement of the president carried no legal weight as the president had simply said that he would not approve the transfer of the vessel if the situation in Ukraine did not improve.
Relations between Russia and the West have deteriorated following the situation in Ukraine. Western countries have repeatedly accused Russia of meddling into Ukraine’s internal affairs. Moscow has denied any accusations.
