French, Georgian FMs talk on cooperations

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner and his visiting Georgian counterpart Grigol Vashadze signed here Thursday a contract on cooperation over interior security after their talks on bilateral ties.

The two ministers had discussions about the situation in Georgia after last year's Russia-Georgia conflict over South Ossetia, as well as mutual cooperations and important international issues, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Security issue of Afghanistan was another focus of their conversation, the statement said.

In August, Georgian parliament has approved to send troops for Afghanistan mission. The first dispatchment of 170 Georgian troops have finished training in France before serving under French command in Afghanistan from this November.

The contract the two ministers signed is about interior security, aiming to enhance bilateral cooperation on development of police and civil security system.

The ministry said previously a meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy was also on Vashadze's agenda, but with Sarkozy's departure for visits in South America, the absent high-level meeting dramatically avoided a collision with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to France on the same day.

After the Georgia-Russia conflict broke out in 2008 August over South Ossetia, France, siding with Georgia, played a spearhead role to broker a cease-fire. 　

Source: Xinhua