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Russian, Dutch FMs to discuss trade & economic coop in Moscow

Over 300 offices of Dutch companies operate in Russia while the number of joint ventures has exceeded 800

MOSCOW, February 26 (Itar-Tass) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will meet his Dutch counterpart Frans Timmermans in Moscow on Tuesday.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said that the ministers would discuss issues relating to the Year of Russian Culture in the Netherlands and the Year of the Netherlands (Dutch culture) in Russia. The official opening of the two events will take place in Amsterdam on April 8. The sides will also discuss trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

This will be the first visit to Moscow for Timmermans since he was appointed Dutch foreign minister in November 2012, Lukashevich went on to say.

The Netherlands have firmly reserved leading positions among Russia’s foreign trade partners in Europe. In 2012, reciprocal trade increased by more than 20% compared to 2011 and amounted to 82.7 billion dollars.

Russian-Dutch investment cooperation also shows sustainable growth. Over 300 offices of Dutch companies operate in Russia while the number of joint ventures has exceeded 800.

Russia annually supplies over 4 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the Netherlands. Russia is ahead of Saudi Arabia and Norway by amounts of petroleum products exported to the Netherlands.