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Paris, Moscow agendas in Mideast are different but compatible

France and Russia are polishing their diplomacy in the Middle East, and perhaps toward each other.
French President Emmanuel Macron stands between Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj (L), and General Khalifa Haftar (R), commander in the Libyan National Army (LNA), who shake hands after talks over a political deal to help end Libyaís crisis in La Celle-Saint-Cloud near Paris, France, July 25, 2017.  REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer - RC1DE481DA80

As the Islamic State (IS) is weakening, France and Russia seem to be keeping each other posted on their respective agendas in the Middle East and North Africa. 

  • Ambassador Franck Gellet, Paris’ special envoy to Syria, paid a discreet visit Aug. 30 to Moscow, where he and Russian experts discussed the Syrian crisis.
  • French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian visited Moscow Sept. 8 and met with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. They discussed Libya and Syria. Both sides have noticeably expanded their common ground on the Syrian crisis, especially regarding chemical weapons and humanitarian concerns.
  • Both of those visits can be considered follow-ups to the May meeting in Versailles between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

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