Russia and France Form a Unique Partnership

On March 1st, 2010 The New York Times published the article "Medvedev Visits France in Bid for Closer Ties" in which Steven Erlanger explains Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's desire to form a special relationship with Europe. Medvedev arrived in France on Monday, March 1st for a three day visit with French President Nicolas Sarkozy that was "intended to enhance the prestige of both men, profit their companies, and remind French voters that Mr. Sarkozy's foreign policy is not beholden to Washington." Sarkozy announced that France had opened negotiations with Russia to sell four "Mistral-class amphibious assault ships" against the strong criticisms from the EU and the U.S. Russia's justification comes from their assertations that if such ships were available to them at the time, the invasion of Georgia would have been much faster. Medvedev called the deal "a symbol of trust between our two countries" and Sarkozy explained that "it was time to turn the page on the Cold War" and that the world can not call upon Russia to assert peace, then say that Russia can not be trusted. During the trip the two also praised a deal struck between France's dominant natural gas company, GDF Suez, and the holder of Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom, in which GDF agreed to buy a 9% stake in the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline in exchange for 1.5 billion cubic meters of gas from Gazprom.

This article's application comes mainly from the increased foreign relations between France and Russia. France stands as a force in the western world, and its increased interaction with Russia could bring further trust in Russia from other western democracies, or it could alienate France. Russia and France's future actions with each other also hold major implications for the legitimacy of both governments.

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