French President meets Putin

(19 Jul 2002) 1. Wide shot Russian President Vladimir Putin and French President Jacques Chirac shaking hands 2. Mid shot view over black sea 3. Various Putin and Chirac walking around grounds 4. Mid shot Putin and Chirac in meeting room 5. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian President: "Mr. President, you know that in Russia there is a lot of people who really like France. And they were very happy and excited to hear that you were to be offered a further term." 6. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vladimir Putin, Russian President: "The president and I had very open and positive discussions." 7. Pan over Chirac and Putin 8. SOUNDBITE: (French) Jacques Chirac, French President: "Russia is rapidly restoring its place in the world, the place of a great nation, in terms of economy and in terms of learning. Europe is also evolving and will expand and strengthen." 9. Various round table 10. Wide shot Black Sea STORYLINE: French President Jacques Chirac met Russian President Vladimir Putin for talks in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Friday. The two men met in the Bocharov Ruchei government residence in the palm tree-lined, seaside city of Sochi, where Putin often vacations. Chirac praised Russia's progress in pulling out of its post-Soviet turmoil and encouraged its closer integration with an expanding Europe. The central issue of the talks was expected to be the dispute over Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave on the Baltic Sea whose neighbours Poland and Lithuania are expected to join the European Union in 2004. When that happens, Russians will need European visas to travel overland between Kaliningrad and the rest of Russia, a requirement Moscow has resisted. The two men were also expected to discuss the fight against international terrorism and those who fund it, the possibility of giving Russia a bigger role in European security policy and the challenges of globalisation, according to Russian news reports. The Middle East, Iraq, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan were also on the agenda. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...