'Putin's presidency were great years' - Jacques Chirac

[North Pole Resident]

Jacques Chirac knows Russia pretty well, and unlike Americans, he is looking for freindship.

Putin Maintains Presidential Air in Paris Trip

It is Vladimir V. Putin’s first trip abroad as Russia’s prime minister, but he might as well still be its president.
To be sure, Mr. Putin met here with his official counterpart, the French prime minister, François Fillon. But he dined on Thursday with the head of state, President Nicolas Sarkozy, and on Friday he met former President Jacques Chirac, who praised him profusely. In general Mr. Putin spoke for Russia as if he still ran it, which most analysts say they believe he still does. With Mr. Sarkozy, Mr. Putin discussed “a wide range of bilateral issues,” according to Mr. Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, especially in the light of “France’s forthcoming presidency of the European Union,” beginning July 1.

In addition, Mr. Peskov said, the two discussed “possible military cooperation” and “exchanged their views on relations between Russia and the European Union in general.” Mr. Sarkozy’s office said that the two men had a working dinner, and that Mr. Sarkozy telephoned Mr. Putin’s handpicked successor as president, Dmitri A. Medvedev, and that he looked forward to meeting Mr. Medvedev in July at the Group of 8 summit in Japan. Mr. Medvedev recently made his first trip abroad as president to China.

On Friday, Mr. Putin smiled benignly as Mr. Chirac expressed his “very deep friendship” for him and said, “My esteem comes from the remarkable manner in which you governed Russia.” He grouped the time Mr. Putin was prime minister under Boris Yeltsin with his two presidential terms, saying, “These 10 years have been, unquestionably, great years for Russia.” Mr. Putin, prime minister again, certainly did not disagree.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/31/wo...ld&oref=slogin