Vladimir Putin To Receive Slovak President Rudolf Schuster In Kremlin

On Monday Russian President Vladimir Putin will give a Kremlin reception to Slovak President Rudolf Schuster. The two presidents are to discuss the new situation in the world after the September 11th tragic events in the USA, the start of the anti-terrorism operation in Afghanistan and additional measures to counteract international terrorism. The sides will also talk about issues related to NATO enlargement. A particular stress at the Russian-Slovak summit is expected to be laid on the two countries' trade-economic relations. The two countries have managed to overcome the post-1998 trade recession and to consolidate the tendency towards increasing trade volumes. Russian deliveries of oil, gas and nuclear fuel fully meet the Slovak demand in these energy supplies. Russia is ranked third in foreign trade with Slovakia, with a 2.2 billion dollar trade in 2000. Energy supplies, raw materials and chemicals make the bulk of Russian exports, while Slovakia mainly imports to Russia cars, equipment and ready-made industrial produce. In this respect the visit by the Slovak president to Russia is called to signal business circles to expand and deepen cooperation. Russian-Slovak military technical cooperation is also likely to be discussed at the negotiations. The two countries have a potential for the development of cooperation in the field of delivering to Slovakia military purpose products and running repair and modernization works on the earlier delivered materiel. The agenda of the official visit by Rudolf Schuster to Russia also includes meetings with Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov and Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexis II. Rudolf Schuster's Russian itinerary includes St. Petersburg as well.