MOSCOW, June 22 (RIA Novosti) - Vladimir Putin said Thursday high-tech branches may help Russian-British cooperation reach a higher level.
"Britain is one of Russia's leading trade and investment partners today," Putin said in an address read to the Russian-British Chamber of Commerce's Business Summit. "We appreciate the achieved scale of bilateral cooperation and hope that joint efforts will take it to a higher level, including through using the potential of high-tech branches."
Putin said recent changes in the structure of Russia's economy, the development of the stock market and banking reform opened new possibilities for joint Russian-British projects and initiatives.
He also hailed the chamber's "important contribution into the development of practical cooperation between the two business communities."
The chamber, which was established in 1916, comprises about 500 companies and organizations from both countries and is funded by its members.
The summit, which opened in London with a gala reception June 21, is focusing on an annual investment review, investment in the Urals Federal District, and energy security, which has been declared Russia's priority during its current presidency in the Group of Eight industrial nations.
Russian companies' initial public offerings on foreign bourses, including the country's biggest new IPO of the state-owned oil company Rosneft scheduled for July, are also on the summit's agenda.
President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development Jean Lemierre, Vice President of leading Russian consumer services firm AFK Sistema [LSE: SSA] Sergei Cheremin and Deputy Russian Finance Minister Sergei Shatalov are attending the summit.
