Russian President visiting Finland

President Vladimir Putin of the Russian Federation is visiting Finland on 23-24 November 2006. The programme began on Thursday, 23 November with a working visit that included discussions with President of the Republic Tarja Halonen and a working dinner at the Presidential Palace.

Presidents discussed bilateral issues between Finland and Russia at the Presidential Palace. Photo: Lehtikuva.

President Putin was accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Economics and Trade German Gref and Minister of Transport Igor Levitin as well as the directors of the Russian Border Guard Service, Customs and Railway Company and the governors of St. Petersburg and of the Leningrad and Pskov regions.

The key subject in the bilateral discussions was border and transport issues. Attention was also focused on other bilateral questions as well as timely regional and international matters.

On Friday, 24 November President Putin will attend the EU-Russia Summit in Helsinki, where topics will include cooperation in energy and environmental matters, the education and cultural sectors, and justice and home affairs.