Russia, Finland presidents to meet in Moscow

MOSCOW, November 8 (Itar-Tass) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
intends to discuss a broad range of issues from European security to
concrete bilateral projects with his Finnish counterpart Tarja Halonen,
who will arrive on a state visit in Russia on Monday. The negotiations
between the leaders of the countries are to be held on Tuesday, November
9, a source in the Kremlin administration told Itar-Tass.
"During Tarja Halonen's visit to Russia the presidents will exchange
views on shaping a renewed European security architecture, development of
strategic partnership between Russia and the European Union, including the
promotion of the initiatives, which Russia put forward at the Russia-EU
summit in Rostov-on-Don on May 31-June 1, 2010 (a draft agreement on a
visa-free regime between Russia and the EU and easier visa regimes with
other countries), a stronger innovative component of our economies -
cooperation within the Partnership for Modernization initiative, the state
and development of European cooperation in the energy sector and the
prospects for Russia's entry in the World Trade Organization," the source
of the Russian presidential executive office said.
"Along with these issues the presidents will discuss several topical
international issues, including the situation around Afghanistan and
Pakistan, the Middle East settlement, the problems over making the nuclear
nonproliferation regime stronger," he added.
Speaking on economic cooperation the Kremlin source noted among the
priorities the cooperation in such high-tech industries as shipbuilding,
energy, forestry and transport. He recalled that the May 2010 interstate
agreement on Finland's lease of the Russian part of the Saima Canal and
the adjoining territory and on the navigation through the Saima Canal is
passing the ratification procedure. "In December 2010 Halonen and Russian
Prime Minister Vladimir Putin are expected to attend the opening of a St.
Petersburg-Helsinki high-speed passenger railway line," the source pointed
out.
The Kremlin believes that active trade and economic relations lay down
a solid basis for Russian-Finnish cooperation. For the last decade the
bilateral trade went up more than five times. The overall direct Finnish
investments in Russian economy also grew with the major part of the
investments made in the production sector. Despite the falling trade in
the 2009 crisis year to 13.1 billion dollars against 22.4 billion dollars
in 2008 Russia is still leading among Finland's trade partners. For the
first half of this year the bilateral trade has increased by more than 20%.
"Russia and Finland are cooperating constructively in Russia-EU
dialogue, the U.N., international regional structures in the Baltic Sea region, Northern Europe and in the Arctic Region, particularly the Council of the Baltic Sea States, the Barents/Euro-Arctic Council, the Arctic Council and Northern Dimension," the Kremlin source said.
Among concrete results of the cooperation in environmental protection he called the commissioning in 2005 of the St. Petersburg South West Waste Water Treatment Plant, the most large-scale Baltic ecological project implemented with the active assistance of Finnish partners.
"The project to upgrade the water supply and environmental protection system in Kaliningrad is being implemented, the construction of the St. Petersburg Northern Waste Water Treatment Plant is to be completed by the end of 2011 that will raise the purified waste water share to 95% from the waste waters, which St. Petersburg dumps in the Neva River and the Gulf of Finland," the source remarked.
The state visit of the Finnish president in Russia will last until
November 11. Apart from Moscow Halonen will also visit Kazan.