Intending to invigorate the bilateral relationship of Russia with Europe, President Dmitry Medvedev reached Germany on Thursday, June 6. The Russian President, Mr Medvedev stressed upon developing close ties with Germany and also asked for a core and equal participation in a new European security pact. Addressing an audience comprising business tycoons and political honchos on Thursday, Dmitry Medvedev emphasized that Russia and Germany have worked together on a very high level of ‘economic cooperation and political contact.’  

 

The Russian President upheld the progressing trade relations between Russia and Germany, highlighting that the volume had surpassed the 50 billion dollar mark in 2007. He further encouraged Europe to invest more in the country saying that ‘nothing brings people closer than doing business together.’ Secure energy supply is again another key issue, for which Mr Medvedev pledged closer cooperation with Germany at the start of his official trip. Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor grew up in East Germany but speaks fluent Russian.

 

Unlike the more friendly approach of her precursor Gerhard Schroeder and former Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Angela Merkel maintains a very business-like stance in matters pertaining Russia. After a two-hour deliberation earlier on Thursday over the proposed Baltic gas pipeline connecting Russia and Germany,  the German chancellor said that the project was not aimed against any particular country. On the contrary, it is meant to facilitate gas supplies to ‘the whole European continent’ to eliminate uncertainties of Poland, Ukraine and the Baltic states, which are bypassed by the line.