Prime Minister Kasyanov: Moscow and Prague feel close again Moscow, april 17, 2002. /from ria novosti correspondent alla isaeva/

Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov thinks that Moscow and Prague "feel close again". Speaking at the "Russia-Czech Republic" economic forum, Wednesday, the Russian Prime Minister announced that many problems in the bilateral relations, that seemed impossible to solve two years before, were solved today. The matters that remained unsettled don't hinder our ongoing cooperation, said Mikhail Kasyanov. The head of the Russian government reminded that nine agreements had been signed last October in the course of his visit to Prague and another fifteen were signed after yesterday's negotiations. Russia wellcomes the Czech Republic's accession to the WTO, said the Prime Minister, speaking in front of the Russian and Czech enterpreneurs. In its turn the Russian Federation is currently conducting a dialogue on creating a common economic space Russia-EU. Kasyanov believes that both Russia and all EU-countries must support and implement the initiatives on mutual capital investments in our economies and this process is already underway. The Russian Prime Minister also believes that the task of the governments is first of all to see and remove the problems that hinder business activity. Last year the negative balance in Russian-Czech trade decreased significantly. Deliveries of Czech goods to the Russian market increased by 25%. Speaking about the new agreements, achieved between Russia and the Czech Republic, Kasyanov said that Russia's Bank of Foreign Trade and The Czech Trade Bank would credit and support export of the two countries, while Czech specialists would build a big hotel in Nizhny Novgorod. In the coming 4-5 years Russia intends to deliver the AN-70 aircraft, helicopters Mi-24 and other machinery to the Czech Republic. The heads of the two governments agreed to see to it that both Russian and Czech enterpreneurs were in equal conditions and received all trustworthy information they needed for capital investments.