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RUSSIA - FRANCE
W
hat are the priorities of the
Franco-Russian Observatory
in Moscow, which you have
headed since 2012?
The Observatory is attached to the
economic council of the Franco-
Russian Chamber of Commerce and
Industry, a body that brings together
twenty French company heads that
operate in Russia and some of their
Russian opposite numbers.
It has two main tasks. The first is to
produce in-depth expertise about
Russia, in the widest meaning of the
term, about macroeconomics but
also about domestic politics, the
regions, foreign policy, as all this is
linked together.
We produce this expertise in several
formats: the annual report and
analysis reports, as well as a report
that is reserved for the members of
the Franco-Russian Chamber of
Commerce and Industry. We also
produce Russian macroeconomic
analyses and analyses of Russian
domestic politics. We also organize
events in France and in Russia.
Russia is a divisive issue and it is not
always easy for reasonable voices to
be heard.
Our second task is to explain the
France of today to our Russian
discussion partners – the media,
politicians and students. For example,
last year we organized many
meetings in Moscow about the
French presidential elections.
Vladimir Putin was re-elected presi-
dent of theRussian Federation inMarch
2018. What is your appraisal of the
reforms that have been undertaken?
No major macroeconomic reforms
have been implemented since 2012,
and some people criticize Russia for
this. There are undoubtedly many
objective reasons for this: a very
complicated international context,
with the Ukrainian crisis, sanctions
and counter-sanctions, tensions with
the West in general and the domestic
political climate.
The third term of office of Vladimir
Putin is not dominated by reform.
This does not mean that nothing has
been done economically. I believe
that the main positive element from
the point of view of foreign investors
is the stability of the legislative and
fiscal framework, in an environment
that remains unsettled.
Today, the Russian authorities must tackle several challenges.
Arnaud DUBIEN,
director of the French-Russian Observatory in Moscow, associate research fellow at IRIS
(Institute of International and Strategic Affairs)
©DR
‘France is a major economic
player in Russia’
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