"As our relations are being promoted in all areas, our turnover is likely to approximate 10 billion euros this year," the Russian president said while negotiating with his Finnish counterpart Tarja Halonen.
"I am happy to say that Russia is Finland's third largest trade partner after Germany and Sweden. If this tendency continues, we shall stand the chance of climbing at least one step up," noted Mr. Putin.
Finland is not being affected by all new European theories, said Mr. Putin. In the context of the expanding European Union and the new theories about new neighbors, we (Russia and Finland) are not new neighbors at all, he added.
Tarja Halonen said for her part that Finland and Russia are long-time rather than new neighbors. But with the admission to the European Union, Finland has become an ever more interesting neighbor because new vistas of cooperation with Russia are now available, she said.
The Finnish president reported that Finland's presidency in the European Union in the second half of 2006 would be marked by closer economic contacts with Russia. "We are doing a lot to step up the trade turnover but there are some latent capacities as well. We would like to expose them as Finland will preside in the European union in the second half of 2006," she said.
