Arms and energy on agenda for Dmitry Medvedev in Paris

Talks on buying a French-made helicopter carrier, energy tie-ups and Iran will be amongst the priorities when president Dmitry Medvedev travels to France for a three-day state visit on Monday, a Kremlin official said.                                           

Medvedev will be hosted at the Elysee Palace by his French counterpart Nikolas Sarkozy, one of the most vocal Western advocates of tough sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programme. Moscow has so far been less enthusiastic.         

Sarkozy has sought to improve ties with Moscow and Washington while retaining his country's strong influence in the European Union. The French president brokered a ceasefire deal that ended Georgia's five-day 2008 war with Russia, which erupted months after Medvedev was sworn in as president.                                    

The two presidents will discuss Russia's interest in buying a 21,300-tonne amphibious assault ship from France -- a sale which has alarmed Washington and NATO's East European allies.                 

A senior Kremlin official said no final agreement on a purchase of a Mistral-class warship - the first big arms sale by a NATO country to Russia - should be expected during the trip.                          

"Military-technical cooperation will be discussed, including the possible supply of a Mistral amphibious assault ship. But no document will (be signed) - we did not set such a goal," the official said, talking on condition of anonymity.