Damascus, Dec. 05 (Saba) - President Bashar al-Assad and Mrs. Asma al-Assad will pay a working visit to the French Republic later this week, Syrian News Agency (SANA).

During the visit, President al-Assad will hold talks with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the bilateral relations between the two friendly countries, in addition to the latest regional and international developments.

The upcoming summit between Presidents al-Assad and Sarkozy is their fifth, as the two Presidents discussed in November 2009 means for bolstering bilateral relations in addition to regional and international issues.

The summit follows the visits of President Sarkozy to Damascus in September 2008 and January 2009 and President al-Assad's visit to Paris in July 2008.

In September 2010, President al-Assad received a letter from President Sarkozy on developing bilateral relations and the importance of continuing coordination and consultation between Syria and France. The letter was conveyed by Jean Claude Cousseran, the French Presidential Envoy for the Peace Process in the Middle East.

In May 2010, President al-Assad met Claude Gueant, the General Secretary of the French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and discussed with him the Syrian-French relations, the regional situation and peace process.

President al-Assad also received during the same month a letter from the French President on bilateral relations conveyed by Gueant.

During the visit of French Prime Minister Francois Fillon to Damascus in February 2010, Syria and France signed 11 agreements, documents and memos of understanding in various fields, where Fillon expressed, during his meeting with President al-Assad, his country's desire to boost bilateral relations between Syria and France and Syria's relation with the EU.

During that meeting, Fillon lauded Syria's pivotal role in the region, underlining the necessity of coordinating between the two countries which would help find solutions to the region's problems.

During the visit of French Minister of Economic Affairs, Industry and Employment Christine Lagarde to Syria, the two sides signed agreements in the field of transport, specifications and measurements, and electricity, in addition to signing the work plan of the Syrian-French Businessmen Council for 2010.

The Council was launched in May 2009 in Paris with the aim of bolstering economic relations and increasing trade exchange between the two countries, in addition to developing French investments in Syria in various fields.

In September 2010, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdullah al-Dardari discussed in Paris with Minister Lagarde and representatives of the French Development Agency (AFD) several issues related to Syrian-French cooperation in energy, agriculture, transport and tourism sectors.
Saba