GOA. Oct 17 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has explained that he decided to postpone his trip to France not because of a refusal to discuss the Syria issue but because France deemed the opening of a Russian religious and cultural center to be inappropriate as a joint event.
"The main cause for, and the main reason of, my supposed trip to France was the opening of our religious and cultural center and visiting a Russian artists' exhibition. The purpose of the visit was precisely this: to jointly participate in these international humanitarian events. But in view of the well-known circumstances around the Syrian problem the French side decided that this part was now inappropriate as a joint event, but on the second one [discussion of the Syrian problem] we barely even had any agreement. We have other problems besides Syria," Putin told Russian journalists on Sunday.
France is not that deeply involved in the Syrian settlement process, he stressed.
"We remember, there was a moment when the Charles De Gaulle aircraft carrier came up to the shores of Syria, and we sort of agreed on joint work, but a couple of days later it turned around and left towards the Suez Canal, so what is there to talk about?" the Russian president said.
"Well, of course, we are always ready to talk to them," Putin said, especially when it comes to "such a big, great power like France, with its capabilities."
"But - I repeat - that was not the main reason for the trip to Paris. And if the main one came off, there simply is no point in meeting for the other issues that were on the agenda, too, but did not count as central," Putin said.
"I repeat once again: we have France in the Friends of Syria group, but it is not that deeply involved in the Syrian problem, nothing like that," the Russian president said.