Kremlin reveals Putin's plans for G20 summit in China

MOSCOW, August 30 /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China on September 3-5 to attend the G20 summit and hold an informal meeting with the leaders of BRICS member states (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). 

The Kremlin press service reported that the G20’s official program would get under way in Hangzhou on September 4 when President Putin is going to take part in the forum’s first working meeting devoted to the strengthening of coordination of the economic policy; Putin will also attend a reception to be given on behalf of Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"The same day, the Russian president will participate in an informal meeting of the BRICS leaders which traditionally forestall the G20 summit and is scheduled to hold full-format talks with Xi Jinping," the Kremlin press service went on to say.

On September 5, "the Russian head of state and his G20 partners will continue a profound exchange of views at four working sessions devoted to ways of raising the efficiency and effectiveness of global economic and financial management; international trade and investments; inclusive and inter-related development; and other factors, which influence the global economy," the presidential aide said.

The G20 will adopt the final communique after the summit. Germany will present the priorities of its G20 presidency, which it will take over in 2017.

Meetings with Xi Jinping

"There will be a traditional contact with the Chinese leader. Our president and Xi Jinping meet at each international event they participate in, and Hangzhou will not be an exception," Ushakov said.

"The negotiations will be held in two rounds: first, wide format talks between delegations and then a narrow format meeting."

Ushakov said the two leaders will discuss, alongside bilateral problems, "the most topical international and regional issues: cooperation with China within the G20 and other international structures in the struggle with international terrorism, progress in linking the Eurasian Economic Union and the Silk Road Economic Belt project, integration processes in Asia and the situation in the Korean Peninsula.

"A detailed discussion is due of bilateral economic issues in the course of another meeting between the two countries’ prime ministers, due to take place in Moscow in November 2016.

First meeting with Theresa May

Putin will also hold the first personal meeting with new British Prime Minister Theresa May on September 4.

"The first contact with Britain’s new Prime Minister Theresa May will be held," Ushakov said.

He added that President Putin had personally congratulated Theresa May on her appointment as the British prime minister in a telephone conversation on August 9. "The two leaders exchanged views on problems of bilateral relations. "They focused exactly on the problems because the relations between the two countries are practically frozen: there have been no contacts in any fields except, perhaps, for my own telephone conversations with the British prime minister’s national security adviser," Ushakov explained.

He added that Russia was attaching great importance to Putin’s forthcoming meeting with Theresa May in hope that it would give some kind of impetus to development of at least practical contacts between the two countries.

Meeting with Erdogan

The Russian president is to hols a meeting with his Turkish counterpart on September 3. 

"It will be an interesting contact - a conversation with Turkish President [Recep Tayyip] Erdogan," Ushakov said.

Ushakov said that the two countries’ presidents met in St. Petersburg on August 9, after that they had a telephone conversation on August 26. "The process of normalization of the bilateral relations that have been impaired due to the known events is underway," the presidential aide said.

He also noted the recently approved decision of the Russian government to resume charter flights with Turkey. "The process of restoration of normal and mutually beneficial cooperation that had existed before the incident with the plane is going at a quick pace," Ushakov said.

According to him, at the moment, "the issue of lifting the restrictions on the involvement of Turkish citizens in the construction projects in Russia’s territory, as well on the provision of services in some other economy sectors" is being considered.

"During the meeting in Hangzhou it is planned to discuss prospects for the implementation of joint strategic projects in the energy sector - the construction of the Akkuyu nuclear power plant and the Turkish Stream gas pipeline under the Black Sea," the presidential aide said. According to him, on the instruction of the two states’ leaders, the relevant ministries and organizations of the two sides stepped up in August the dialogue on this subject. Ushakov added that during the conversation the two leaders also "plan to exchange views on key international problems, including the situation in Syria and the fight against the international terrorist threat".

Saudi prince’s successor

On September 4, Putin will discuss trade cooperation and the situation in Syria with Muhammad bin Salman, the successor to the Saudi Crown Prince.

"The forum’s agenda will have a small interval, which we will use to hold a regular bilateral meeting. This will be a meeting with successor to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia Muhammad bin Salman," Ushakov said.

"The key attention will be paid to urgent international and regional problems, first of all the situation in Syria," he said.

"There are certain problems in perception of Syrian settlement issues between Russia and Saudi Arabia. This topic will be a key one at the talks," Ushakov said.

Bilateral meetings on Ukraine

Two bilateral meetings on Ukraine will take place at the summit instead of  trilateral talks of the Russian, German and French leaders.

The meeting with French President Francois Hollande may be held on September 4 and the meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on September 5, according to preliminary data, he said. "The key topic at both meetings is Ukraine," Ushakov said.

"At first it was agreed to hold a trilateral meeting to discuss in detail the current situation in Ukraine and the ways of further cooperation as part of the Normandy format and the Minsk process. But then our colleagues suggested holding two bilateral meetings citing the schedule," he said.

Putin-Obama contacts not ruled out

According to the official, Putin and his US counterpart Barack Obama may have a working contact at the summit although the meeting has not been coordinated officiall.

"The official meeting has not been coordinated, but of course we are not ruling out that during the events of the G20 summit Putin and Obama will find time for a working contact what often occurred at the international events in which both leaders took part," Ushakov said.

Upcoming visit to Japan

Putin will meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on September 2 to discuss bilateral ties, including preparations for his visit to Japan at the end of the year.

"Talks with the Japanese prime minister are due on the evening of September 2," Ushakov said, noting that first they will meet in a narrow format to discuss strategic issues of bilateral ties and "sensitive international problems". This will be followed by a meeting with the participation of the delegations that will include ministers and business executives.

"Everybody knows that Putin’s long delayed visit to Japan is due in December, and I think that it is the agenda of this visit that will be discussed at the meeting in Vladivostok," he said. "The timeframe of the visit has been coordinated," but will be announced by agreement with the Japanese side, Ushakov said.

Ushakov said Putin and Abe were expected to have "an intensive discussion on bilateral trade-economic, political issues, as well as on international matters". "This will be a good warm-up ahead of the already scheduled visit of our president to Japan in December," he went on.

Ushakov also said that a trip to the Russian Far Eastern city of Vladivostok will be Abe’s second visit to Russia this year. The previous talks with Putin were held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on May 6.

Joint projects

As for talks with the participation of the delegations, Ushakov said the Russian delegation will include First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Trade and Industry Denis Manturov, Energy Minister Alexander Novak, Minister for Economic Development Alexei Ulyukayev as well as the head of oil major Rosneft Igor Sechin and top managers of some other major companies.

Ushakov noted that Rosneft and Gazprom gas giant are currently engaged in negotiations with Japanese companies on new joint projects for production and processing of hydrocarbons. They also eye the construction of a Russia-Japan energy bridge and have "fair prospects in the sphere of peaceful atom," he said. Cooperation is growing in the agricultural sector, and the two countries are successfully developing humanitarian ties.

Putin to meet with Egyptian president

Vladimir Putin is also expected to hold a meeting with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi.

"We’ll have another bilateral and quite important contact - with President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi," the Kremlin aide said.

The meeting is planned after the ceremony of closing the summit, the presidential aide said.

The talks will focus on strengthening trade and economic relations. Both presidents will also examine major bilateral projects, including the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Egypt and the development of the Russian industrial zone in that country, the Kremlin aide said.

"The work of the joint task force to study the expediency of signing a free trade deal between the Eurasian Economic Community and Egypt is nearing completion. A decision will be made before the end of this year," he added.

The Russian and Egyptian leaders are also expected to discuss the Syrian crisis, the Palestine-Israeli settlement and the Libya situation, the Kremlin aide said.

Meeting with Argentina's new leader

A meeting with the president of Argentina, Mauricio Macri, will be held ahead of the G20 summit.

"In the evening of September 3, upon arrival in Hangzhou there will be a meeting with Argentina’s President Mauricio Macri," Ushakov said, adding that it would be the first meeting of the Russian and Argentinian leaders after Macri’s election in 2015. Earlier, Putin held a telephone conversation with his Argentinian counterpart. The two leaders agreed to meet on the sidelines of the G20.

"It is going to be an important and interesting meeting," Ushakov said about the forthcoming Putin-Macri talks.