18 June 2002 00:00
ON THE STAY OF RUSSIAN DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER AND FINANCE MINISTER ALEXEI KUDRIN IN HALIFAX, CANADA
Russian Federation Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin has held in Halifax, Canada, a number of bilateral meetings within the framework of the just-concluded meeting of heads of financial agencies of the world's seven leading countries and Russia.
He met with Spain's Vice President and Minister of Economy, Rodrigo Rato. One of the discussion topics was the progress in the negotiations on Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization. The sides discussed also the Russia-EU summit results in terms of concrete measures for the legislative confirmation in the European Union countries of the political decision to grant Russia full market status. In addition, questions pertaining to bilateral relations were examined - more specifically, extending the list of projects under the operative program of exchanging debts for investment.
The Deputy Prime Minister met also with the Canadian Deputy Prime Minister and new Finance Minister, John Manly, who presided over the ministerial forum in Halifax. During the talk the task was solved of ensuring a continuity in the bilateral agreements and principles of cooperation which had become established with the previous head of the Canadian financial agency.
Also, Kudrin's working conversation with the British Finance Secretary, Gordon Brown, took place, at which the two discussed the questions of increasing the size of the trust fund for debt relief for the poorest countries, as well as of more actively enlisting Russia for the discussion of these questions with the financial Group of Eight. In this regard, it was noted that in volume of reduction of the debt burden of these states Russia is one of the leading partners of the industrially developed countries.
Alexei Kudrin also held a meeting with the German Finance Minister, Hans Eichel, at which the prospects of cooperation with the European Investment Bank, which previously had not been engaged in implementing projects in Russia, were discussed. The sides also came up closely to final schemes for settling the question of registering as Russia's the rights of ownership in the property of the former USSR on German territory.
___________________________________________________________
© Publication of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
|
RUSSIA IN FACTS