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ST. PETERSBURG, June 13 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's president held a meeting with his Finnish counterpart Tuesday, where he hailed bilateral economic cooperation and voiced hopes that procedures for obtaining visas to Europe would be simplified further.
"We have been setting records in terms of trade growth virtually every year," Vladimir Putin told Tarja Halonen at a meeting on the sidelines of an economic forum in St. Petersburg.
The Russian leader added that progress had mainly been made in the energy sector and timber industry, traditional areas of cooperation, although the two countries were increasingly focusing on the high-tech sector.
Russia, which accounts for 12.4% of Finland's trade turnover, is its second largest trade partner after Germany, and Finland is one of Russia's top ten partners.
In 2005, bilateral trade increased 27.1% on the previous year, reaching $15.29 billion, with Russian exports totaling about $8.15 billion and imports $7.15 billion, according to Russia's trade delegation in Finland.
Raw materials account for 90.2% of Russian exports to Finland, which include oil and derivatives, natural gas, electricity, coal, timber and metals. Machinery and equipment account for a mere 1.5% of Russian exports compared with the 81.8% share of such products in Finnish exports to Russia.
Putin also said he hoped the European Union would take further steps to facilitate travel from Russia to Europe.
"Russia and the EU have made major steps in this direction," he said.
Russia and the EU signed agreements on visa facilitation and readmission at the Russia-EU summit in Russia in late May.
Russia agreed to receive repatriated individuals who entered the EU from its territory illegally or stayed there beyond the term of their visas and Europe simplified visa issuance procedures for students, journalists, businessmen, culture activists, scientists and athletes in Russia.
Putin said he hoped friendly relations between Russia and Finland, which assumes the EU presidency in two weeks, would spread throughout Europe.
