(VOV) - French President Francois Hollande held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Thursday.

Russian and French Presidents V.Putin and Francois Hollande (Photo: Reuters)

This is part of Hollande’s  first visit to Russia as the French President to boost the bilateral economic cooperation and sign new agreements on craft manufacturing, space research, transportation, education, and culture. The two leaders also discussed the relations between Russia, the European Union, and NATO, international conflicts in the Middle East, North Africa, the anti-terrorist campaign in Mali, and nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea. President Hollande said the talk is important as both are permanent members of the UN Security Council and Russia is holding the chair of the G20, the Group of 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors from 20 major economies and will take the Presidency of the Group of the world’s wealthiest countries next year.