France, Ukraine to reinforce bilateral relations

France and Ukraine pledged to reinforce the bilateral relations in various of fields, French president Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced Wednesday in a joint declaration in Paris.

The French and Ukrainian heads of state discussed the evolution of the situation in eastern Ukraine, including the implementation of Minsk II agreement reached on February 12, said the declaration.

The visiting Ukrainian president thanked his French counterpart for the efforts of France in the "Normandy Format".

Regarding the delayed delivery of two Mistral warships to Russia due to the deterioration of the situation in Ukraine, the French president said "(the delivery) is not possible in the current context".

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed the wish of a refund if France should fail to make the delivery.

As for relations between Ukraine and the European Union (EU), the two leaders stressed the importance they attach to the concrete measures aimed at strengthening the relations, especially during the next Eastern Partnership summit to be held in Riga.

Speaking of the bilateral cooperation in internal security, the Ukrainian president appreciated France's efforts in the "training of Ukrainian miners in the neutralization of improvised explosive devices and the management of secure areas".

The two leaders also reaffirmed their wish to reinforce the cooperation in the fight against organised crimes and corruption.

The two presidents also agreed to deepen the bilateral cooperation in the fields of food, sports, education, bank supervision, environment and sustainable development.

This visit comes several days before the French president goes to Yerevan of Armenia, on the occasion of the commemoration of the centenary of the Armenian genocide, which left 1.5 million people dead.

The French president was expected to meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Armenia. Endit