The Russian head of state warmly welcomed Mr Schroeder at Vnukovo-2 airport. After a brief official ceremony Mr Putin invited his guest to examine the Russian amphibious plane BE-200, stationed on the airfield. They boarded the plane, examined the cockpit and the cabin, and could learn about the work of the BE-200 from photographs displayed in the cockpit. According to the Minister for Emergency Situations, Sergei Shoigu, the BE-200 can also be used to localize oil spills on water. Russia is examining the possibility of delivering these planes to other country, Mr. Shoigu said.
After that Mr Putin and Mr Schroeder left for the Kremlin where a Russia-Germany summit talks took place. The leaders discussed various issues of bilateral cooperation, outlook for Russo-German partnership in trade, energy, political and cultural spheres. They also focused on certain aspects of Russia-EU relations.
The Russian President and the German Chancellor adopted a Joint Statement on the expansion of business ties between the Russian Federation and the Federal Republic of Germany in the energy sphere. Two sides noted the key significance in covering additional demand on the natural gas market, and also for ensuring the reliability and security of the gas supply in Germany and Europe as a whole. They welcomed the intention of Gazprom (Russia) and E.ON AG (Germany) to work together in joint enterprises, primarily in extraction of natural gas and production of electrical energy; in building a gas pipeline through the Baltic Sea; in widening the infrastructure for selling Russian natural gas in the Federal Republic of Germany and in Europe as a whole, and also in realizing joint projects in gas electric power stations on the European market. Mr Putin and Mr Schroeder agreed to work closely on issues concerning these projects, and regularly exchange information on their realisation, in order to minimise non-commercial risks as much as possible, and also to assist in removing obstacles on the European level that hinder successful realisation of these projects.
In the evening two leaders met with representatives of Russian and German business circles. At their presence businessmen signed three documents: the Memorandum on mutual understanding between Gazprom and the German company E.On, the contract on creating a joint enterprise between the Russian holding Marta and the German holding Rewe-Zentral, and also the framework agreement on strategic cooperation and mutual understanding between the Russian company Sistema and Siemens.
At the end of a Russia-Germany summit the President of Russia and the Federal Chancellor of Germany made press statements.