MOSCOW, June 30 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin will announce a date for a G8 summit in 2006 at the group's July 6-8 summit in Scotland, a presidential aide said Thursday.
Igor Shuvalov said the president would also announce the issues to be discussed next year, when Russia will preside over this informal organization of the world's leading industrialized nations
Shuvalov said the G8 countries had never doubted Russia's right to chair in the organization in 2006.
Shuvalov said German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac put forward the initiative, and "nobody has ever doubted their decision."
"Journalists have written a lot on the matter, and the U.S. Senate is very worried. We are calm about the situation," Shuvalov said.
"We have already been preparing for several months," Shuvalov said. He added that Russia understood its responsibility and knew the issues to be discussed.
