Mr. Schroeder previously proposed, on the European Union's behalf, boosting participation in settling Chechnya-related and many other problems. The call has reached Mr. Putin, and he takes the problems it concerns very seriously, added the President.
As he was greeting Mr. Putin before the talks, Chancellor Schroeder highlighted previous German-Russian summits, saying that they were always a great success.
He pinpointed two essential issues on tonight's agenda. One concerns bilateral economic ties. "We are to consider the ways along which our partnership will progress in the economy and commerce," said the Chancellor. Youth exchanges are another issue of extreme importance, he went on.
Atlantic Kempinski, summit venue, is one of Germany's, and the world's, most prestigious and best known hotels. Opened on May 2, 1909, it possesses a top-notch television studio among other facilities.
