OSAKA /Japan/, June 28. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Japan’s Osaka, where he will take part in the G20 summit on June 28-29 and hold a dozen of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event.
He is scheduled to hold full-format talks with the event’s host, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
Putin-Trump meeting
The first day of the summit will see one of the most expected meetings - with US President Donald Trump.
The talks with Trump will take place at approximately at 14:00 local time (08:00 Moscow Time). The conversation will be held in a room for meetings between the leaders, which has been chosen by the US side. No official statements or agreements are expected to be signed.
According to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, the leaders will outline the agenda of the talks themselves. "The issues are logical: the general state of bilateral affairs, strategic stability and numerous regional conflicts - Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine, Venezuela, of course, the Iranian problem and so on," he said.
Putin and Trump will discuss the situation in Syria in general and the issues of joint work in the Syrian direction, Ushakov said.
Other bilateral talks
Putin’s schedule also includes meetings with the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Turkey, India, China, South Korea, South Africa and Egypt. He will also meet with the Saudi crown prince and hold a brief exchange of opinions with European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
"There will also be on the go meetings with various officials, including during the formal reception, luncheon, concert. There will be an opportunity to talk to somebody on the sidelines," he added.
Ushakov explained that Putin’s meetings with the leaders of the South African Republic, the US, the UK, France and South Korea, as well as multilateral talks in the BRICS and RIC formats will take place on June 28. The contacts with the leaders of Turkey, Germany and Egypt are scheduled for June 29. Many meetings will take place between the events of the G20 summit.
Speaking on the meeting with Macron, Ushakov said that the two leaders plan to discuss the settlement of the domestic Ukrainian conflict. "The generally recognized basis of the peaceful process is the 2015 Minsk package of measures," Ushakov said. The discussion on the prospects of its further implementation will be held with regard to steps taken by the new Ukrainian leadership. The leaders are also expected to discuss the situation around the Iranian nuclear program.
The meeting with Merkel is expected to focus on the prospects of settling the domestic Ukrainian conflict, the situation around Iran and contributing to the peaceful process in Syria. At talks with the Egyptian leader, Putin plans to discuss the situation in the Middle East, in North Africa as well as the preparation of the Russia-Africa summit due in Sochi on October 24.
Putin at G20 events
During the first session of the summit on June 28, the Russian president is expected to address the need to strengthen the role of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and other issues.
"Our president is planning his speech. He is expected to voice his opinion on the existing imbalances in the international financial system, world trade, on problems related to the escalation of trade conflicts, to stress the cases of applying unilateral restrictions, which has become more frequent now, various barriers and to express his thoughts about strengthening the role of the World Trade Organization as a universal platform for resolving various disputes and discussions on global trade and economic issues," Ushakov said.
According to him, on June 28, Putin will also take part in the second meeting of the summit on the digital economy.
"Our president also plans to speak there and intends to talk about the implementation of the Russian national project "Digital Economy," to focus on the development of the digital infrastructure of our country, building a "smart" urban environment and to touch on the introduction of digital technologies in the public administration system in general," the Kremlin official said.
"He (Putin) will voice our proposals to the countries of the G20 in the field of digitalization," he added.
On June 29, the summit’s meetings will address inequality and employment issues, as well as climate and energy issues. Ushakov added that in the end of the second day of the summit a closing ceremony will be held and final documents, including a declaration, will be signed.
Later on June 29, Putin will sum up the work in Osaka at a press conference.
G20 summit in Osaka
This year’s summit will be the 14th in the history of the group, whose members account for about 90% of the global GDP and are home to approximately 60% of the global population.
Apart from leaders of the G20 states, the leaders of Vietnam and Thailand, Singapore, The Netherlands, Egupt, Spain, Senegal and Chile have also been invited. The summit’s events will be attended by chiefs of leading international organizations, including UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, World Bank President David Malpass and International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Christine Lagarde.
During the upcoming four sessions of the summit, the sides are to reaffirm the importance of supporting the global economic growth and of ensuring free and fair trade. The participants are also expected to discuss a reform of the World Trade Organization. The environmental agenda will be devoted to the problem of the plastic waste that pollutes the oceans.
Apart from the main sessions, two auxiliary forums will be held, to focus on the present-day state of affairs in the digital economy and on greater opportunities for women.
The summit will be held at the INTEX Osaka exhibition center. Some 7,000 journalists were accredited to cover the event. About 32,000 police officers will be on duty to ensure public order and safety.