ST. PETERSBURG, June 6. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin will continue his work at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), holding a number of bilateral meetings with the leaders of Bolivia and Zimbabwe, President of Republika Srpska (an entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina) Milorad Dodik and New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff.
Meeting with Bolivian president
Bolivian President Luis Arce arrived in Russia to participate in SPIEF on Wednesday. This will be the first in-person meeting between the two leaders, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov told reporters. Putin and Arce had previously had contacts over phone. According to Ushakov, the sides will discuss various issues of further development of bilateral cooperation in all areas, first of all the economy. Foreign policy issues will also be raised.
According to the presidential aide, the countries "have similar approaches to key issues of the global agenda." Among other things, Bolivia backs Russia’s initiatives against glorification of the Nazis and supports its efforts aimed at promoting global information security, human rights and peaceful space exploration. The Kremlin aide added that the sides will also discuss Bolivia's proposal to consider the country's accession to BRICS, which has a special significance in view of Russia's chairmanship.
The presidents will first hold one-on-one talks, and then enjoy a working breakfast with the participation of delegations. The Russian side will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov, Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilev, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Dmitry Shugayev and Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev.
According to Luis Arce himself, he will visit Russia "with the goal of strengthening bilateral ties in economy, trade, energy and other spheres." He said he will participate in SPIEF with an "important working program."
Talks with president of Zimbabwe
According to the Kremlin aide, Putin will meet with his Zimbabwean counterpart Emmerson Mnangagwa on the same day. The meeting will also be held first in the format of one-on-one talks, followed by talks with an expanded circle of delegates. The Russian side will be represented by top diplomat Sergey Lavrov, Natural Resources and Environment Minister Alexander Kozlov, Economic Development Minister Maxim Reshetnikov, Shugayev and Likhachev. Ushakov recalled that this will be the fourth time since 2019 that Mnangagwa will come to Russia.
Deputy Head of the Zimbabwean President's Press Service George Charamba told TASS that Mnangagwa will lead a delegation that will also include the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Frederick Shava and the Minister of Finance and Investment Promotion Mthuli Ncube.
On the following day, June 7, the leaders of Bolivia and Zimbabwe will participate in the SPIEF plenary session.
Other meetings
A meeting with New Development Bank President Dilma Rousseff is also planned for June 6 at the Konstantinovsky Palace. Ushakov recalled Putin’s constructive work with Rousseff in her capacity of the president of Brazil. The sides will discuss the issues of the bank's further strategy, its participation in the financing of various projects, including on the territory of Russia, the Kremlin official said.
"We have, diplomatically speaking, questions about the activities of this bank, in the creation of which we were directly involved, and these issues will naturally be discussed with the New Development Bank president, including in view of the fact that next year, in July, the rotating presidency in this bank will go to Russia," Ushakov added.
Apart from that, Putin will meet with President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik in "another contact that has become traditional." The last meeting of the leaders of Russia and Republika Srpska took place in Russia’s Volga city of Kazan in February. Back then, the sides took part in the opening ceremony of Games of the Future and discussed a number of issues, including the situation in the republic.
According to the Kremlin aide, the sides may discuss "the current political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the state of affairs in the Balkans as a whole, various issues of bilateral relations." "The sides will also touch upon the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the Srebrenica genocide," he added.
SPIEF guests
136 countries will send their delegations to this year's St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), including 45 nations that will be represented at a high level, Ushakov told reporters. The leaders of Abkhazia, Bolivia, Zimbabwe and Republika Srpska, as well as the prime ministers of the Central African Republic and the Republic of South Ossetia will be there, as well as numerous ministers, parliament members, governors and so on.
Senior officials from international organizations, including the Commonwealth of Independent states, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Eurasian Economic Commission, the Union State of Russia and Belarus, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, the Latin American Economic System, the BRICS New Development Bank, the African Diamond Producers Association and the African Union will also attend the event.
In all, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum will bring together more than 17,000 participants from 136 countries.