"This event is considered as a milestone for future climatic discussions, as the start of talks on working out a new international regime of cooperation in countering climate change after 2012 will be agreed upon at it," the ministry said.
The ministry said Russia is ready to take an active part in discussions, adding that according to current forecasts, the country will fulfill its Kyoto protocol commitments in 2008-2012 without strain, adding that as of 2004, the level of greenhouse gas emissions in Russia was 30% lower than in 1990.
The Kyoto Protocol obliges the 35 industrial states that have ratified the document to cut emissions by 5% below 1990 levels by 2008-2012. The United States, a major polluter, has pulled out from the protocol, saying this could damage its economy.
Developed and developing countries have been locked in a dispute over who should bear the main burden of carbon emission restrictions.
