Cooperation between France and Russia is historically very high and has been developing despite sanctions and the pandemic, says Jean-Pierre Thomas, president of Thomas Vendôme Investment and France’s former presidential envoy.
Talking to RT on the sidelines of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Thomas said that many businesses in Europe, including French companies, want to invest in Russia. Businesses particularly want to invest in the agriculture sector, he added.
"France currently has big investment opportunities in Russia because, thanks to the sanctions, Russia has been developing its agriculture,” Thomas explained, pointing out that in Europe, and particularly in France, there’s a lot of high technology for the agro industry.
Also on rt.com Putin outlines national priorities to restart economy & raise living standards as Russia emerges from Covid crisis“We have more than 200 companies present in Russia, and France is the biggest [FDI] employer in Russia.” However, the political environment and sanctions are hurting cooperation, which could reach much higher levels, he said.
“Big companies in France are very interested in coming to Russia and investing there," the former envoy affirmed, "and so that’s the field in which we can cooperate more.”
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