Russian Debts Not To Be Discussed In Berlin

The issue of Russian debts will not be discussed in the course of forthcoming negotiations between Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in Berlin, Kasyanov said while visiting the Hannover Industrial Fair. According to him, the debt issue is a matter of the past, since the two sides' attitude to it has been clear for a long time now. Kasyanov recalled that Germany had expressed readiness to help Russia solve the problem in the future. The talks between Kasyanov and Schroeder will focus, first of all, on trade issues and Russia's admission to the WTO. The Russian Prime Minister stressed that "we want not only full WTO membership, but also an end to discrimination against Russian producers." Since Germany is an important European Union member influencing EU policies, the Russian side is going to pay special attention to trade, labour division, and the development of high technologies at the Berlin negotiations.

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