President Saakashvili congratulated in a phone conversation on May 14 French President-elect François Hollande on his “historic victory” in elections, the Georgian President’s administration said.

It said that President Saakashvili told Hollande that his electoral campaign drew “interest and hope well beyond the French borders” and also stressed “the common values shared by both nations and the fundamental role of France for Georgia especially, and Europe in general.”

The Georgian President’s administration also said that the French President-elect thanked Saakashvili and “expressed his strong support to the territorial integrity of Georgia and to its young democracy.”