Mr Sarkozy’s calls come as Putin’s bombing campaign against Islamic State (ISIS) has seen his approval ratings in Russian Federation rocket to an all-time high.
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Oct 27 President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday urged greater use of the rouble in oil deals, seeking to prop up the ailing currency and cut Russia’s dependence on the dollar.
Nicolas Sarkozy held the office of French president from 2007 to 2012.
“The only way to reach a political solution is through an global coalition involving Russia, which plays an essential role in the country”, said Sarkozy, who is scheduled to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin later on Thursday.
“Today the ties between Europe and Russian Federation are being tested”.
“The world needs Russian Federation”, he said during a one-to-one meeting with his old “friend”.
Marc Pierini, a visiting scholar at Carnegie Europe, says this is unlikely: “The diplomatic efforts of France at the moment, particularly in Syria, are efforts conducted by the government, by the president, by the foreign minister, and therefore a private visit by a politician, no matter his calibre, can not have much influence”.
He added that the ousting of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should not be a prerequisite, while noting that it is necessary to support the Syrian opposition, as the conflict could not be solved without the participation of Syrians themselves.
“We need to get out of this period of confrontation that we are now experiencing”, he said, without making any concrete proposals.
A smiling Putin praised Sarkozy for his “impressive” speech.
“Diplomacy is complicated, he is like a dog in a bowling alley in this affair”, he said on France 2 television.
Officials traveling with Sarkozy said that his trip was a personal one made at the invitation of the university, and had been organized many months ago.
Bruno Le Roux, head of the Socialist group in France’s lower house of parliament, criticized what he said appeared to be an embrace of authoritarian leadership.
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Sarkozy, who is now the leader of The Republicans party, has called for “opting for rapprochement and dialogue”. “There is a usefulness in maintaining relationships with all countries”.
