France is willing to maintain friendly ties with Cote d'Ivoire and relations between the two countries will "turn a new page," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said here Sunday.
Kouchner made the remarks after concluding a two-day visit to Cote d'Ivoire, a former colony of France.
He told reporters that he was optimistic about the future of France-Cote d'Ivoire relations, saying the unpleasant time in the history of bilateral ties should become a thing of the past.
The French top diplomat also expressed his satisfaction with Cote d'Ivoire's peace process, announcing that France would offer 2 million euros (about 3 million U.S. dollars) to the Western African nation to help it hold general elections in November.
During his visit, Kouchner held meetings with Cote d'Ivoire's President Laurent Gbagbo, Prime Minister Guillaume Soro and leaders of various political factions.
He also inspected the base of French troops in Abidjan, the capital of Cote d'Ivoire.
Relations between France and Cote d'Ivoire, overshadowed by an abortive coup in the nation in 2002, took a dramatic turn for the worse when Cote d'Ivoire's air force killed nine French soldiers during a bombing raid on a rebel stronghold in 2004.
In retaliation, Paris ordered the destruction of the better part of the country's fleet of fighter aircraft, in which dozens of people were killed, sparking violent street demonstrations that led to the evacuation of more than 8,000 French expatriates.
Source:Xinhua
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