Presidents of Russia and Ukraine Dmitry Medvedev and Viktor Yanukovich will meet in Gelendzhik on Monday to discuss energy and high-tech cooperation, Medvedev’s aide Sergei Prikhodko said on Friday. The Russian leader will go to Gelendzhik for one day.
“The first Russian-Ukrainian inter-regional economic forum will be held in Gelendzhik,” Prikhodko said. He reminded reporters that the presidents had agreed “on holding such forums on a regular basis at a meeting with the leaders of border regions in Kharkov on April 21”.
“They will focus on economy, energy, transport and ecology as primary areas of Russia-Ukraine cooperation,” he said. Aircraft building and space exploration will also be on the agenda, Prikhodko added.
“It is not planned to raise the gas problem at the meeting, as it is being handled by the government and Gazprom,” Prikhodko said. “While discussing energy issues, the presidents will concentrate on enhanced political support to interaction in atomic energy industry,” he stressed.
That will be the ninth meeting of Medvedev and Yanukovich since March 2010, Prikhodko said. “We view this meeting as another step in preparation for the November 26 meeting of the Russia-Ukraine Interstate Commission,” he said.
Prikhodko said that regions’ leaders are expected to discuss at the forum the development of trade in the border regions, joint use of trans-border waters, their ecology, the development of transport infrastructure and innovation development.
Besides, the governors will be able to exchange experience in connection with Ukraine’s preparations to host Euro 2012 and Russia’s preparations to host Sochi Olympic Games in 2014.
A number of documents will be signed at the forum, such as a program of interregional and border cooperation for the period of 2011-2015, a protocol of cooperation between Russian and Ukrainian Unions of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, and a cooperation agreement between the Russian Krasnodar territory and the Ukrainian Zaporozhye region.
“Political instability in Ukraine and the world financial turmoil complicated interregional relations in 2009, and trade dipped by over 50%,” Prikhodko said. “The latest drastic improvement of bilateral relations, restored friendship and strategic partnership, gave a significant boost to trade and economic relations this year.”
“In January-July 2010 trade between Russia and Ukraine almost doubled as compared with the same period last year,” reaching $18.99 billion, Prikhodko said.
The Russian-Ukrainian state border goes through five Russian and five Ukrainian regions. The border is 2,245 kilometers long. The share of 20 Russian regions in overall trade with Ukraine amounted to 89.5% in the first half of this year, including 37.8% for Moscow, 10.7% for the Belgorod region and 7.8% for the Tyumen region.
Head of the Russian presidential administration Sergei Naryshkin, presidential aides Sergei Prikhodko and Alexander Abramov, Regional Development Minister Viktor Basargin, Energy Minister Sergei Shmatko, Transport Minister Igor Levitin, Economic Development Minister Elvira Nabiullina, Border Service head Vladimir Pronichev, Federal Migration Service head Konstantin Romodanovsky, Federal Customs Service head Andrei Belyaninov, Federal Border Services Agency head Dmitry Bezdelov and heads of Bashkortostan, Tatarstan, St. Petersburg, Krasnodar territory, Bryansk, Voronezh, Kursk, Leningrad, Lipetsk and Sverdlovsk regions will be accompanying Medvedev on his trip.
