VLADIVOSTOK, September 7 (Itar-Tass) — Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to hold 15 bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other countries during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum’s summit on September 7-9. Presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said that these are coordinated and planned talks, but in the course of the work at the forum Putin may have also other contacts with the heads of foreign delegations.
Thus, the Russian president is expected to hold separate talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiro Noda, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Christine Lagarde.
Putin also intends to have conversation with a number of leaders from South-East Asia, mainly on economic matters. For instance, with Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang he is going to raise the issue of the possibility of starting negotiations on a free trade agreement between the Customs Union member states and Vietnam, which would strengthen the position of Russia and Vietnam in the integration processes that are gaining momentum in the Asia-Pacific region. The conversations will also focus on cooperation in the oil and natural gas sphere, in hydropower and thermal power engineering, as well as in the banking, machine building, telecommunications, transportation, mining and metals industries.
Bilateral trade and cooperation in science and technology and the promotion of new forms of cooperation will dominate Putin’s talks with President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia “in the light of the two countries’ course at the modernization of their economies and assimilation of innovative technologies,” Yuri Ushakov said.
“Also, Putin and Yudhoyono will discuss the current situation around the implementation of large-scale bilateral projects,” he said. “Considering the handover of APEC’s rotating presidency, now held by Russia, to Indonesia in 2013 the two presidents will take up the issues related to the continuity of steering the forum’s work.”
Expansion of bilateral trade and, on top of that, the cultural and humanitarian relations will be the central issues at Putin’s talks with Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak. The two men will have an overview of the new tasks for and the areas of variegated bilateral cooperation that embraces the aerospace industry and innovative spheres, among others.
The agenda of the Russian-South Korean meeting will not confine to the economic issues. Along with the diversification of the trade turnover and a build-up of the inflow of South Korean investment in Russia, Putin and President Lee Myung-bak will discuss the further cooperative steps that the Russian and South Korean companies can make in the build-up of South Korean investment in Russia, in car manufacturing and in the energy sector.
Close attention will be given to other aspects of the situation on the Korean Peninsula, the ways of settling the problems of the North Korean nuclear program, and the prospects for resumption of the six-partite talks on the nuclear-free status of the Korean Peninsula.
“Implementation of trilateral projects embracing South Korea, North Korea and Russia, including the linkup of the Korean railway lines and Russia’s Trans-Siberian railroad, as well as the transits of natural gas and electric power to South Korea via the territory of North Korea will also occupy and important place at the talks,” Ushakov said.
The agenda of Putin’s meeting with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore will mostly focus on investments, ties in the field of high technologies and research, education/culture, healthcare, sports, and tourism, and promotion of ties between the Russian and Singapore business quarters.
According to Yuri Ushakov, Putin plans raising a similar spectrum of issues at the talks with Thailand’s Prime Minister Yinglak Chinnawat and New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key.
Putin is also expected to meet with leaders of a number of countries located in the Western hemisphere. One of them is the Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who will discuss with him a purchase of a 30% share in the new oil fields in Alberta Province by Russian oil companies and strategic cooperation between the corporations Rosneft and ExxonMobil, as well as a recent agreement between the Russian non-ferrous metals producer RUSAL and the Canadian company Orbit Aluminum, which plan building a joint factory to produce alumina.
The Russian president also intends to hold meetings with the presidents of Peru and Chile at which the parties will focus on the development of bilateral trade and economic ties.
In addition, Putin will hold a conversation with Sultan of Brunei Hassanal Bolkiah Darussalam. “During the talks the sides will have an exchange of views on important issues of the bilateral and international agenda,” Ushakov said.