URGENT: France, Russia to unite Le Bourget and MAKS air shows

MOSCOW, April 9 (RIA Novosti) - France plans to unite its Le Bourget Air Show with Russia's annual MAKS air show, a high ranking French official said on Thursday.

"As you know, 2010 will be the year of France in Russia and Russia in France. We will be focusing on achievements in space exploration and aircraft construction. Starting this year, we will unite MAKS and Le Bourget," Anne-Marie Idrac, the French state secretary for foreign trade, told a news conference in Moscow.