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Finland, Russia maintain cooperation, as neighbors should do — Finnish premier

"Finland, on its part, wants to help promote cooperation between the European Union and Russia," he said

HELSINKI, September 25. /TASS/. Finland and Russia maintain close practical cooperation, as any neighbors should do, Finland’s Prime Minister Juha Sipila said in an interview with TASS on Tuesday ahead of his meeting with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev, who is arriving in Helsinki on a working visit.

"We maintain working dialogue. Practical cooperation proceeds actively, as it should be with neighbors. Relations between our countries are as good as they can be in the current international situation," he said.

"Finland, on its part, wants to help promote cooperation between the European Union and Russia. Closer cooperation will also depend on Russia, on its policy towards Ukraine and its commitment to the Minsk agreements," he noted.

Moscow has repeatedly stressed that Russia is not a party to the Ukrainian conflict and is acting as a mediator in settling the crisis. So, as Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov emphasized, Russia cannot implement the Minsk agreements.

According to the Finnish prime minister, along with bilateral relations, he plans to discuss with his Russian counterpart regional and international problems. "Bilateral issue will include trade relations between our countries, trans-border cooperation and collaboration in the sphere of environment protection. International topics will most likely include the situation in Ukraine, relations between Russia and the United States, and other pressing matters," Sipila said.

The Russian government’s press service reported earlier that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev planned to visit Finland on September 26 to hold talks with his Finnish counterpart, Juha Sipila. The sides are expected to discuss the current situation in the Russian-Finnish trade, research and humanitarian cooperation. The agenda also includes issues of the implementation of joint industrial, energy and infrastructure projects, as well as other topics of mutual interest.

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