The paper is devoted to some aspects of international cooperation in geosciences related with activities of the outstanding Russian geoscientist A. P. Karpinsky with a focus on his links with France. General questions concerning his role in the organization and development of geology in Russia are discussed. The position of Karpinsky as a member of an international geological society is underlined. An obvious recognition of the merits of Karpinsky in France was the awarding of his Cuvier Prize in 1921.