MOSCOW, July 5 (RIA Novosti) - The Russian and Finnish presidents will meet in the city of Saransk in European Russia in mid-July, the Russian foreign minister said following negotiations with his Finnish counterpart.
"Last month the Russian and Finnish premiers discussed bilateral cooperation and what needed to be done to arrange the meeting between the two presidents in Saransk for the middle of this month," Sergei Lavrov told a news conference after meeting with Ilkka Kanerva.
Finland is the third leading European Union nation in terms of exports to Russia, which totaled 9% of Russian imports, or $8.4 billion last year.
During their meeting in Moscow, Lavrov and Kanerva discussed international issues like Kosovo and the Middle East, and Russia's relations with the EU.
Bilateral aspects were also on the agenda, including ways of facilitating a visa regime between the two neighbors, boosting border cooperation and developing the Northern Dimension project designed to promote cooperation across northern Europe, a Finnish Embassy official said.
Initiated by Finland in 1997, the project seeks to address specific challenges and opportunities arising in northern Europe and strengthen dialogue and cooperation in business, infrastructure, human resources, education, culture, scientific research, environmental protection, and regional development.
The Northern Dimension initiative involves northern EU nations, Russia, Iceland, and Norway.
