Russia, Finland PMs to discuss economic situation, Russia-EU ties

HELSINKI, August 9 (Itar-Tass) - During a working trip to Russia,
Finnish Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen will discuss with his Russian
counterpart Vladimir Putin the economic situation in the world, bilateral
cooperation, Russia-EU relations and other topical issues.
The prime minister heads for the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi,
where he will meet with Vladimir Putin, the pres service of the Finnish
government said. He will be accompanied by Minister for European Affairs
and Foreign Trade Alexander Stubb.
Ahead of the visit, Jyrki Katainen told Tass that he was confident the
two sides would discuss in Sochi an extensive range of issues concerning
Russia's relations with Finland and the European Union. This will be the
first meeting of the two prime ministers, and that is why it is necessary
to consider in detail cooperation and determine how to make it more
productive, he stressed.
He said they would also discuss international issues, including the
economic situation in the world that remains rather alarming. It is
necessary to jointly look for ways to act and solve problems in conditions
of globalisation, he stressed.
He qualified the current state of relations between Russia and Finland
as good. Cooperation of the two countries is broad, and the two countries
exchange visits very extensively - the presidents of the two countries,
the prime ministers, the foreign ministers and the chairmen of the
intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation meet twice a year,
the prime minister stressed.
An extension of the agreement on the lease of the Saimaa Canal and the
launch of high-speed railway communication between Helsinki and St.
Petersburg were the most important results of bilateral cooperation last
year, Jyrki Katainen said.
Economy is the central sector in Russian-Finnish relations, he said.
Last year Russia became Finland's biggest trade partner, and trade between
the two countries amounted to about 14 billion euros, the prime minister
said.
He confirmed Finland's bid to continue developing with Russia
good-neighborly relations and active multifaceted cooperation in all
spheres and at all levels.
This will be the first meeting between the prime ministers of the two
countries. Katainen was appointed prime minister in June 2011.
The two prime ministers will discuss in detail a wide range of issues
concerning bilateral trade, economic and investment cooperation, including
in the field of transport, energy, high technologies, forestry and
agriculture, shipbuilding, border and customs infrastructure, the Russian
government press service said on Monday.
Putin and Katainen also plan to discuss cooperation between Russia and
the European Union, the current situation in the world economy,
environmental cooperation in the Baltic region, and regional collaboration
in the north of Europe in general.
Trade and economic ties serve as a strong foundation for multifaceted
cooperation between Russia and Finland. Over the last decade, bilateral
trade turnover increased more than fivefold. Direct Finnish investments in
Russia increased several times. Despite a decline in trade in 2009 (13.1
billion U.S. dollars compared to 22.4 billion in 2008), Russia continued
to rank first among Finland's trade partners.
Priority areas of cooperation include such high-tech sectors as
shipbuilding, energy, transport, and forestry industry.