Medvedev in France: still pushing the European Security Treaty

President Medvedev has been on his second working visit to France this week, and met with President Sarkozy on March 1st. Preparations for the forthcoming G8 and G20 summits were high on the agenda, as was the Iranian nuclear programme.
 
Despite its effective rejection by the west, the Kremlin's proposed European Security Treaty was also discussed. Those of us who campaigned against the European Constitution are starting to have feelings of déjà vu: this proposal keeps climbing out of its grave, with Sarkozy seemingly as keen as Medvedev on the idea of replacing NATO in Europe with the Kremlin's treaty.  
 
After their talks, the following documents were signed in the presence of the two state leaders: a protocol on implementing the readmission agreement between Russia and the EU; a memorandum on additional supplies of natural gas and the Nord Stream project between Gazprom Export and GDF SUEZ; and, a protocol on the acquisition by the company Alstom of 25 percent of the shares of Transmashholding, and technological and industrial cooperation between Alstom, Transmashholding and Russian Railways (RZD).

The state leaders then gave a joint news conference, during which Medvedev stressed the partnership nature of relations between Russia and France.
 
On March 2nd, at a meeting in the Matignon Palace, Dmitry Medvedev and French Prime Minister Francois Fillon discussed bilateral issues and the future of relations between the Russian Federation and the European Union.

photo: www.kremlin.ru