Medvedev to meet with foreign counterparts during St Pete forum

MOSCOW, June 17 (Itar-Tass) -- Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev will
have meetings on the fields of St. Petersburg's international economic
forum with his counterparts from Spain, Kazakhstan, Finland and Sri Lanka,
Presidential Aide Sergei Prikhodko told Itar-Tass.
"This year's guest of honour of the St. Petersburg's international
economic forum is Spain," Prikhodko said. "Spain's Prime Minister Jose
Luis Rodriguez Zapatero heads the delegation of his country."
"This visit - in the framework of the exchange of years of Russia and
Spain - will give an impetus to development of trade and economic,
investment and innovative cooperation between our countries," he said.
"The base for this work was made back in December 2010 as in the framework
of the Partnership for Modernisation the two countries signed a joint
protocol on cooperation."
"Besides, a big delegation of Spain's businesses came to the opening
of the Years to St. Petersburg," he added.
Medvedev will have meetings with Zapatero and with businesses of the
two countries.
"Most of Spain's businesses visited St. Petersburg in last February
and now they have come to improve connections with their Russian
counterparts, to achieve new mutually advantageous agreements," he said.
"The meeting of the two leaders will discuss future improvement of the
Russia-Spain relations and a wide range of international agenda issues."
Development of oil and gas deposits in Sri Lanka is a major topic for
a meeting of Russia's president with his counterpart Mahinda Rajapaksa.
"This will be the second meeting of the two leaders, as last February
Mahinda Rajapaksa came to Russia on a working visit," Prikhodko said.
"The upcoming meeting's agenda includes review of the bilateral trade
and economic relations /trade turnover in 2010 reached 423 million
dollars/, and participation of Russian companies in major infrastructures
projects, in construction of new energy plants, in exploration and
production of oil and gas deposits off shore Sri Lanka," he said. "The
sides will exchange views on up-to-date international problems and issues
of bilateral cooperation in the framework of international organisations,
for example, they will discuss cooperation in fighting terrorism and drugs
in the framework of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation /in 2010, Sri
Lanka obtained a status of observer of the dialogue/."
It will be for the first time that Sri Lanka's president will
participate in the forum. His delegation includes foreign minister,
minister of international financial cooperation, head of the central bank
and five representatives of the country's major businesses.
Medvedev will continue bilateral meetings on Saturday. Finland's
President Tarja Halonen will come to Russia on a working visit and will
speak at the final plenary session of the XV St. Petersburg international
economic forum.
"During their meeting, the two presidents will exchange views on vital
international issues, including strengthening of the dialogue between
Russia and the EU and NATO, on the UN platform and in regional structures
in Northern Europe," Prikhodko said. The agenda of the two leaders
includes "discussion of bilateral relations in key spheres of trade and
economic cooperation, like shipbuilding, energy, forest industry."
"In 2010, trade turnover made 16.75 billion dollars /by 27.7 percent
more against 2009/," Russia's presidential administration reports. "There
are major Russian-Finnish projects - in past November the two countries
signed a memorandum between the Skolkovo Foundation and the Nokia Concern,
in December high speed trains started serving the St. Petersburg-Helsinki
route."
Presidents of Russia and Kazakhstan will have a second meeting over
the current week.
"The meeting will continue the intensive - in the mood of strategic
partnership and union relations between the two countries - political
dialogue between Dmitry Medvedev and Nursultan Nazarbayev on a series of
bilateral issues and on international and regional cooperation," Prikhodko
said. "In this context, they will pay special attention to implementation
of the agreements, achieved over the working visit of Kazakhstan's
president to Russia in March and those achieved over the summit of the
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation on June 14-15 in Astana."
The two leaders will discuss "traditionally important topics, which
are the basis of the Russia-Kazakhstan cooperation - in the space sphere
they will discuss effective use of the Baikonur complex, in energy they
will discuss further development of the two countries' fuel and energy
complexes, development of new deposits, as well as issues of peaceful use
of nuclear energy in the framework of implementation of the Complex
programme for cooperation in the nuclear sphere, which was inked in
March," Prikhodko said. "It is planned that the presidents will discuss
cooperation in transport, and a promising project of an international
corridor Western China - Europe, as well as humanitarian cooperation,
especially in education."
"Of course, Medvedev and Nazarbayev will exchange views on
preparations for the 8th Russia-Kazakhstan Forum on Regional Cooperation,
due in Astrakhan in September," he concluded.