Jansa and Putin Discuss Business Prospects

Prime Minister Janez Jansa met Russian President Vladimir Putin on the last day of his three-day visit to Russia. Business ties between the two countries, especially prospects for further cooperation, were topping the talks.

Addressing the press ahead of their meeting, the pair expressed delight with bilateral economic cooperation, foremost with the fact that trade has surpassed US$ 1bn.

Moreover, Jansa and Putin called for greater Russian investment in Slovenia. According to Putin, the two countries must diversify the goods they trade.

Putin also said that he was delighted that Jansa was being accompanied by such a sizeable business delegation, which he believes is sure to breathe fresh wind in economic ties.

Putin pointed out that measured in per capita terms, Slovenia was Russia's biggest European trade partner.

He said he expected Russian businesses would take part in the second phase of Slovenian privatisation and be treated equally as companies from other companies.

Sharing Putin's view, Jansa said he believes the second phase of privatisation of Slovenian steel, telecommunications, energy and financial companies could be interesting for Russian strategic and institutional investors.

Several new business opportunities have arisen in recent years, especially in the field of energy, therefore the Slovenian government will do everything in its power to use them, Jansa said.

Slovenian businessmen have a great interest in cooperating with their Russian colleagues, so Jansa came to Russia with representatives of 98 Slovenian companies, the strongest business delegation ever to accompany a senior Slovenian official abroad.

He told his host that Russia has greatly improved in the last five years, with political and economic bilateral relations between the two countries advancing as well.

Jansa stressed that the famous Russian Chapel under the Vrsic border pass, commemorating Russian prisoners of war who died building it during the First World War, was also an important bond between the two countries is also.

It will be 90 years this year since the construction of the chapel, which was recently renovated. The area is to be declared a memorial park. Like every year, a high-ranking state and church delegation is expected to attend the memorial ceremony in July.

Jansa, who was accompanied to Russia by FM Dimitrij Rupel, Economics Minister Andrej Vizjak, Defence Minister Karl Erjavec and Agriculture Minister Marija Lukacic, met earlier in the day Parliament Speaker Boris Gryzlov and Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.

Source: Slovene Press Agency STA