Medvedev leaves for Finland to discuss relations, European security.

ST. PETERSBURG, July 20 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Dmitry
Medvedev on Tuesday leaves for a two-day working visit to Finland to
discuss with his Finnish counterpart Tarja Halonen Europe's new security architecture and bilateral cooperation in the hi-tech spheres," a Kremlin source told Itar-Tass.

"The two heads of state will discuss approaches to forming a new
European security architecture, the development of strategic partnership
between Russia and the European Union, including issues of visa-free
regime and Partnership for Modernization program, as well as issues of
nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, and a number of regional
problems," the source said.
Russia and Finland have been actively cooperating within the
international regional formats in the Baltic area, Northern Europe and in
the Arctic, such as the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Council of
the Barents Euro-Arctic Region, the Arctic Council, and the Northern
Dimension, the source reminded. "These topics will also be on the agenda
of talks between the two leaders," it added.
"During talks with Finnish President Tarja Halonen, it is also planned
to discuss key issues of bilateral cooperation," the source noted. "Among
top-priority economic cooperation issues are cooperation in the area of
innovation and high technologies. The talks the heads of the two
governments had in the Finnish city of Lappeentranta in May, and the first
innovation forum Russia-EU have given a fresh impetus to joint efforts in
the key directions of business cooperation, such as shipbuilding, power
generation, the timber industry, with a special emphasis on hi-tech and
innovation aspects."
According to the Kremlin source, the dialogue between the leaders of
the two countries "is of intensive and regular character, insuring gradual
development of the Russian-Finnish cooperation." Finland is one of Russia'
s major business partners. The trade turnover between the two states has
grown five-fold in the past decade, and Finland's direct investments in
the Russian market - eight-fold. Despite a decrease in the trade turnover
to 13.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2009 against 22.4 billion U.S. dollars in
2008, Russia has remained among Finland's top trade partners. In the first
quarter of 2010, the trade turnover went up by more than 20 percent to
reach five billion U.S. dollars.
It will be the fifth meeting between Medvedev and Halonen. The two
leaders met for the first time on June 28, 2008 during the 5th World
Congress of Finno-Ugric Peoples in Russia's Khanty-Mansiisk. The second
meeting took place on April 20 through 21, 2009, when the Russian
president was on a state visit to Finland. The third meeting was on June
5, 2009 during the Petersburg International Economic Forum in Russia's
second largest city of St. Petersburg, and the fourth one was on August 11
in the Russian resort city of Sochi.
After Medvedev arrives in the Finnish town of Naantali near Turku, the
two presidents will make short statements for the press and then hold the
first round of talks. The two leaders are expected to make a stroll around
a park of the Finnish president's residence Kultaranta (which is
translated from the Finnish as the 'Golden Coast').
The main round of talks will be held on Wednesday, after which the two
presidents will hold a news conference.
-0-ras