Medvedev arriving in Namibia on visit.

MOSCOW, June 25 (Itar-Tass) - Issues of the development of
trade-economic cooperation and the expansion of Russia's participation in
major projects in Namibia will occupy the central place at talks of
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with President of Namibia Hifikepunye
Lucas Pohamba. Their meeting will be held on Thursday within the framework
of the first ever visit of the Russian head of state to Namibia.
"Issues of trade-economic cooperation are expected to occupy the
priority place at the top-level talks," Russian presidential aide Sergei
Prikhodko said complaining that "the state of affairs in this sphere
obviously does not correspond to the existing possibilities."
"The Russian business community has been displaying growing interest
of late in entering the promising market of Namibia that possesses rich
natural deposits," the official noted. "In this connection during the
visit the sides will discuss possibilities for the expansion of Russian
investment participation in major projects of the Namibian economy, in
particular, in the sphere of the prospecting and development of mineral
deposits, hydrocarbons, electric power industry, transport and tourism,"
Prikhodko said. According to him, one of promising cooperation spheres is
the energy industry starting from the hydropower to atomic power industry.
"We are ready and are even offering at the expert level cooperation
programmes, so we will speak about this," the RF presidential aide said.
"The agenda of the talks between the presidents of Russia and Namibia
is expected to include a broad range of international and regional
problems," Prikhodko noted. "In particular, they will consider in detail
problems related to ensuring the sustainable development of countries of
the African continent, issues linked with peacekeeping in Africa and
search for ways of the settlement of conflicts that are the main obstacle
to stability and socio-economic growth in African states," the diplomat
specified. "Among other possible themes will be international cooperation
in overcoming the global financial crisis, issues of ensuring global
energy security," the RF presidential aide noted.
According to Prikhodko, during the visit the sides intend to adopt the
Joint Communique on the official visit of the Russian president to
Namibia, to sign a number of intergovernmental and interdepartmental
documents, including an agreement on mutual encouragement and protection
of capital investments, a Memorandum of Understanding between the RF
Federal Agency for Fisheries and the Namibian Ministry for Fisheries and
Mineral Resources, a Memorandum of Cooperation between Gazprombank and the
National Petroleum Corporation of Namibia. The visit programme provides
for talks in narrow and broader formats with President Hifikepunye Lucas
Pohamba.
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