Vive la culture! But for a mutual craving...
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev who arrived in Paris on his first state visit on March 1 also values the cultural side. At any rate, the opening of the Holy Rus exhibition at the Louvre is the most important event of his three-day visit.
Although political and economic relations between the Kremlin and the Elysee Palace sometimes turn down blind alleys, culture has always provided an opportunity to take them out into the open once again. Medvedev"s visit is a case in point.
All state visits are better watched from the sidelines because the official process is predictable. In November 2009, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin led a veritable Grand Trade Delegation to France, bringing with him the CEOs of virtually every national oil and gas, energy, steel, hi-tech, space, automotive, aircraft, banking, financial and any other company he could find. Consequently, the trade-energy, cultural and scientific aspects of Medvedev"s visit are more or less clear.