Presidents of Russia, Finland to Discuss Bilateral Issues in Moscow

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet with Finland's leader Sauli Niinisto in Moscow on Tuesday to discuss bilateral relations, particularly the issues of cross-border cooperation, the Kremlin's press service said.

The bilateral talks will cover a wide range of issues of the Russian-Finnish relations, including trade and economy, as well as cultural and humanitarian spheres. The presidents will also discuss topical issues of the inter-regional and cross-border cooperation.

"In addition, they will exchange views on the foreign policy agenda, and cooperation in the framework of various international organizations," the press service said.

The president of Finland will visit Russia at the invitation of Putin.

The two presidents are expected to discuss the burning issue of the European refugee crisis, as well as the Western anti-Moscow sanctions.

In late January, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev held a meeting with his Finnish counterpart Juha Sipila in St. Petersburg, where the sides discussed cooperation on migration issues. A few days after the meeting, Sipila told Sputnik that bilateral cooperation and relations between Russia and Finland were "basically good."

For the past two decades, relations between Russia and Finland have been based on mutual and neighborly cooperation, particularly in trade and investment.

However, relations between Russia and the European Union, which Finland is a member of, deteriorated significantly in 2014 over the Ukrainian crisis.