SARATOV, November 8. /TASS/: France may need expert help from Russia in the restoration of the Notre Dame cathedral after the April fire, French Ambassador to Russia Sylvie Bermann told TASS on Friday during her working visit to the Saratov region.
"First of all, I want to thank Russia for being so concerned about this tragic fire. We have set up an agency in Paris that works on this issue [restoring the Notre Dame cathederal], and this agency will contact Moscow, so that they can determine what kind of experts are needed for this type of work. We are ready to invite experts to Paris," Bermann said.
She noted that the first stage in restoring the cathedral is consolidating the agency responsible for this work. "Former French Ambassador to Russia Stanislas de Laboulaye will work on issues of international cooperation in this sphere," she added.
The Notre Dame de Paris cathedral caught fire late on April 15. The fire was completely extinguished only next morning. The fire destroyed the top of the spire, the clock and most of the roof. According to preliminary reports, the fire started around the spire. The causes of the fire have not been established yet.
Russia and other countries have offered their help in restoring the landmark cathedral. French Culture Minister Franck Riester said in October that 104 million euros have already been donated for restoration.
