Brazilian President's Talks In Moscow To Focus On Mutual Trade Expansion

Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso is to pay an official visit to Moscow on January 14-16. The visit will focus on the expansion of bilateral trade and economic cooperation. According to the data by the Russian Economic Development and Trade Ministry, in 2001 the turnover volume between Russia and Brazil totaled about 1.5 billion dollars exceeding the 2000 level by 500 million dollars. Primary goods and semi-finished products, such as fertilizers, metals, alloys and chemical products, form the basis of the Russian export to Brazil. Agricultural and food products and tobacco goods (97 per cent of the import) are the principal imports from Brazil. Russia holds the first place among the importers of Brazilian raw sugar and is among the five principal importers of coffee, pork and frozen chickens. Brazil holds the first place in the volume of turnover in Latin America. About 0.8 per cent of the Russian foreign trade falls on Brazil. Russia's share in the Brazilian foreign trade turnover totals about 1 per cent.