Russia-Sweden committee session to be held Wed

STOCKHOLM (Itar-Tass) - The 15th session of the
Russia-Sweden supervisory committee on trade and economic cooperation,
co-chaired by Russian Vice-Premier Sergei Ivanov and Swedish Foreign Trade
Minister Eva Bjorling, is held here on Wednesday. Those present are to
discuss matters concerning Sweden's participation in the modernizatin
programme of the Russian Federation, in the field of energy-saving, in
particular.
The principal purpose of the session, in the opinion of the Swedish
Minister, is to promote deeper cooperation between Russia and Sweden in
the fields of the economy, trade, and investments.
"Russia is a growing market, an important role at which may be played
by Swedish enterprises that are capable of meeting the country's
requirements in many fields, such as, for example, energy efficiency,
information technologies, telecommunications, and infrastructure. Since
Swedish enterprises hold leading posiitons in these fields, the potential
(of cooperation) is really great," Bjorling pointed out.
An official at the Russian Embassy to Sweden has told Itar-Tass that
participants in the session are also to hear information on the results of
the activities of the working groups on space research, IT, energy, and
health care. At the close of the session, a Memorandum of Understanding is
to be signed between the Federal State Institution "Russian Energy Agency"
of the Energy Ministry and the Swedish Energy Agency.
On Wednesday afternoon, Sergei Ivanov is to meet with Swedish Prime
Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, and representatives of Swedish enterprises.
Bilateral trade turnover ran at $6,440 million last year, with Russian
export amounting to $3,590 million and Swedish one running at $2,850
million. The share of Russia in Sweden's export is 1.79 percent (13th
place) while that of Sweden in Russia's export is 0.09 percent (25th place
among 14 EU countries).