Monday, 14 September 2009
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will meet with the French and Spanish prime ministers on Monday in the Russian city of Yaroslavl, his aide Sergei Prikhodko said.
Medvedev will meet with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on the sidelines of an international conference on global security to be held in Yaroslavl, 250 km northeast of Moscow.
Medvedev and Zapatero last met during the G8 summit in Italy's L'Aquila this July. Russia-EU relations, cooperation within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), a new Russian-EU strategic partnership treaty are traditionally on the agenda of top-level Russian-Spanish meetings.
The two leaders are also expected to discuss a new legally binding European security pact, proposed by Medvedev in Berlin last June. So far, the initiative has been met with caution by the West.
The Russian-Franch talks are expected to focus on a host of issues - from international conflicts to airspace cooperation. Among other things, Medvedev and Fillon will discuss Iran's nuclear program, France's initiative for organizing an international Middle East conference and the situation in the Caucasus.
According to the French prime minister's administration, he is seeking Russia's support for a French initiative concerning global financial management ahead of the forthcoming G20 summit.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will also meet with his French counterpart later in the day.
The international conference in Yaroslavl, The Modern State and Global Security, is held under the aegis of the Russian president. Some 550 representatives from 18 countries are expected to attend. RIA Novosti is the forum's information sponsor.
