By Hajer M'tiri
PARIS
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday received his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Versailles Palace in their first face-to-face talks, nearly two weeks after Macron took office.
The visit is seen as an opportunity to rebuild strained bilateral ties. France has been backing the moderate opposition in Syria, while Russia is a firm supporter of the Bashar al-Assad regime.
Putin, 64, cancelled his last planned visit to Paris in October after then-French President Francois Hollande said he would see him only for talks on Syria and that Russia's bombing of Aleppo could amount to war crimes.
France has also been one of the key EU countries pushing for sanctions on Moscow over the occupation of Crimea and the Ukraine crisis.
Russia's ambassador to Paris, Alexander Orlov, told French Radio Europe 1 on Monday that he expected this first meeting to be full of "smiles" and to mark the beginning of "a very good and long relationship".
Macron, 39, vowed during last week's G7 summit in Italy that he would have a "tough dialogue" with his Russian counterpart.
"It is essential to talk to Russia because there are a number of international issues that will not be resolved without a tough dialogue with them," Macron told reporters.
Speaking at a joint press conference at Versailles, Macron said they had discussed several issues, ranging from Franco-Russia relations to the situations in Syria, Ukraine and Libya.
"It was a first exchange of opinions, I think it was very open, honest, we have told many things to each other. I shared my views concerning a number of situations. There are things on which we disagree, but we expressed them… And above all, we discussed ways to conduct our joint actions,” Macron said.
Syria
On the Syrian conflict, Macron said his country wants to cooperate with Russia to fight terrorism and find a democratic transition but not at the cost of Syria becoming a failed state.
Macron also warned that the use of chemical weapons is a “red line” that would draw reprisal from France.
"We outlined two major principles ... First, that a very clear red line should exist: the use of chemical weapons, no matter who does it. Any use of chemical weapons will be followed by an immediate response – at least on behalf of France. I also hope that we can exchange useful information and work together to evaluate the situation on the ground," Macron said.
Putin reaffirmed his country’s stand and said: "The French president knows very well our position: we believe that we cannot fight against the terrorist threat by destroying the state.”
Asked if France is planning to reopen its embassy in the Syrian capital Damascus, Macron said it is not a priority.
“I will not insist on this. I need a clear roadmap to establish peace on this territory and stabilize the situation," he said.
As for the Ukraine crisis, Macron said he discussed with Putin implementation of the Minsk agreements and holding new talks as soon as possible.
"We hope that, as soon as possible, a new exchange will be held in the so-called 'Normandy' format, and that we may have access to a detailed report by the OSCE … it is therefore a process that must endure," he said.
Election interference
Asked about Russia's alleged interference into France's presidential election, Putin brushed it aside, calling it "no subject for discussion."
During the presidential election campaign, Macron's campaign was the target of massive cyber-hacks. His team pointed fingers at Russian hackers and even refused accreditation to the Russian state-funded Sputnik and RT news outlets, which it said were spreading Russian propaganda and fake news.
And just two days before the decisive May 7 election runoff, Macron’s campaign said it was the victim of an anonymous massive hack as thousands of emails and electronic documents, mixed with false ones, were released online.
Analysts said the source could have come from a group tied to Russian military intelligence. However, Moscow rejected the allegations.
Asked about banning the two Russian media outlets from his campaign event, Macron the two were behaving "like propaganda agencies," not news outlets.
"I have always had an excellent relationship with foreign journalists, but they have to be journalists. Russia Today and Sputnik did not behave like press bodies, but as agencies of influence and propaganda,” Macron said with Putin by his side.
The two leaders later toured an exhibit marking the 300th anniversary of Russian Czar Peter the Great’s trip to France in 1717.
