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Medvedev to set out prospects for investments on RF market – aide

“We are trying to use foreign visits in order to attract business communities’ attention to Russia,” presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said

MOSCOW, November 7 (Itar-Tass) — Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will set out prospects for investments on the Russian market and cooperation with Russian companies in the course of his official visit to Germany and meetings with German businessmen, presidential aide Sergei Prikhodko said on Monday.

“We are trying to use foreign visits in order to attract business communities’ attention to Russia,” Prikhodko said, adding that the talks would involve the leadership of 16 top leading German companies, particularly Siemens, Deutsche Bank, E.ON Ruhrgas, Knauf. “The president will give a brief speech and then answer questions of the participants in the meeting,” he added.

“Special attention will be paid to the strengthening of investment interaction,” the presidential aide said. German companies will actively participate in making investments practically in all branches of the economy. At the end of 2010 the total amount of investments reached 27.8 billion U.S. dollars. Germany is among the five leading partners of Russia, Prikhodko said.

In his words, “the two states concentrate their efforts on promoting high tech projects. To this end, the Russian-German programme, Partnership for Modernisation, is being implemented. Considerable progress has been achieved in such areas as transport machine-building, automobile manufacturing, computing hardware and energy saving, the presidential aide said.

Russia and Germany maintain close energy cooperation, primarily in the gas sector. Germany is the largest exporter of Russian natural gas. In 2010 Russian gas supplies to Germany reached 39 billion cubic metres.

Russian-German strategic partnership is based on multiplied trade and economic relations. Germany is one of the key foreign trade partners of Russia. In 2010 trade turnover amounted to 51.8 billion U.S. dollars. In the first half of the year trade increased by 44 percent as compared with the same period of last year. “Our trade turnover can really reach 70 billion U.S. dollars by the yearend,” Prikhodko said.

Simplified visa travel regime between Russia and the EU, European missile defence and bilateral and international cooperation will be in the focus of the Russian-German talks on Tuesday, November 8, Prikhodko said.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will make an official visit to Germany on Tuesday, Prikhodko said.

“We will speak about Russian-EU relations, particularly about the energy dialogue. I believe that the president will raise the problem of ease visa regime,” the presidential aide said in his comment on the upcoming talks between Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“By taking into account the fact that the launch of the North Stream gas pipeline will be a priority issue, the talks will also focus on prospects for gas and energy cooperation,” the Russian presidential aide stressed. “As for international topics, the president will expose our vision on European missile defence,” Prikhodko added.

During the visit, Medvedev will also meet with German President Christian Wolf. “Special attention will be paid to public, humanitarian and cultural relations,” the presidential aide stressed. The St Petersburg Dialogue forum, which creates a solid base for non-state relationship, is one of the multifaceted mechanisms in this field. In addition, at present, both parties organise events within the Russian-German Year of Education, Science and Innovation and the Russian-German exchange years, Prikhodko said.

In his words, “the Russian and German leaders also discuss problems related to the difficult pages of the contemporary history of both countries, including within the Russian-German commission for studying the contemporary history of bilateral relationship and possible events in light of the 70th anniversary of Victory Day.”

The Russian-German talks will also touch on cooperation on the international arena. “This is the most important factor of European and world politics, which have a positive impact on the constructive combination of approaches in the bilateral format and in key international structures – the U.N., the OSCE, the Russia-NATO Council, the G-8 and the G-20,” Prikhodko noted.

“The leaders always keep abreast of these issues. Foreign political problems will be also discussed during the visit,” he added.