On the sidelines of the international conference on Libya in Paris on November 12, 2021, a meeting of the heads of the foreign policy and military departments of Russia and France will take place
In addition to the Libyan topic, it is planned to discuss Afghanistan, Ukraine and the Iranian nuclear deal.
The 2 + 2 format is interesting: the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defense on each side. It should be noted that a similar approach in organizing meetings is widely used by the United States. In particular, Washington thus holds regular meetings with South Korea, Japan and India.
The situation for Moscow in terms of creating a tactical alliance or developing common approaches on certain issues on the international agenda is convenient: the French were not allowed into the Anglo-Saxon union AUKUS, a multibillion-dollar contract for the construction of submarines for Australia was taken away, France’s relations with Britain on fisheries were strained, up to the application of sanctions from the French side.
By the way, the French Foreign Ministry officially expressed concern about the use of the Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicle by the Ukrainian army in the Donbas. If the result of the talks between Moscow and Paris is the active support of the French side for the agreements reached in the Normandy format, it will already be good.
Elena Panina