MOSCOW. March 1 (Interfax) - Russia and France have signed an agreement on joint use of space technologies.
The agreement on joint use of technologies between the rocket and space corporation RKK Energiya and the French company Astrium (subsidiary of EADS-Astrium, a large producer of spacecraft) was signed in the Kremlin after negotiations between the presidents of the two countries on Thursday.
The document was signed by Vitaly Lopota, general constructor of RKK Energiya, Vladimir Terekhov, director of RKK Energiya, and Francois Auque, president and CEO of Astrium.
The first step in the direction of partnership with the European holding was made in April 2011, when an agreement on strategic partnership with EADS-Astrium was signed. In June 2011, an agreement on the creation in Russia of a joint venture to produce modern communications satellites and remote sensing of Earth was signed at an international air show in Le Bourget. The foundation documents for the new joint venture were signed on December 14, 2012.