Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin informed the President about the upcoming G8 finance ministers’ meeting. Mr Kudrin said that preparations for the meeting are going full steam ahead. Among the issues on the meeting’s agenda, Mr Kudrin said, are the development of the world economy and the oil market, the results of the latest round of trade talks, the fight against infectious diseases and donor participation of developed countries, support for the poorest countries and the writing off of multilateral debts by international financial organisations.
Mr Putin plans to meet with the participants in the G8 finance ministers’ meeting.
Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov spoke about the participation of Russian naval vessels in the NATO anti-terrorist operation, Active Endeavour, in the Mediterranean. NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer will visit the missile cruiser Moskva.
A group of NATO officers are on board the Moskva and will give the Russian seamen a series of lectures on the theory of carrying out operations during the sea journey to the Italian port of Messina. Russian and NATO naval vessels will carry out the first practical missions within the framework of Active Endeavour during joint exercises that will take place following the Russian vessels’ stay in Messina.
Russian officials and the crews of the Russian vessels will also take place in the commemorative events to mark the anniversary of the 1908 earthquake in Messina. At that time, sailors from the Russian Imperial Navy came to the assistance of the disaster-struck city’s people.
Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Zhukov reported on plans to modernise the country’s fleet of electric locomotives and to develop electric locomotive manufacturing as one of the most promising sectors in the Russian machine-building industry.
Mr Zhukov said that previously, electric locomotives were mostly purchased from the Czech Republic. Plans have now been drawn up to replace them completely by Russian-made locomotives manufactured at the Kolomensky Plant by 2015. Several dozen Russian companies will be involved in producing components for the electric locomotives.
Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov said in this respect that it is particularly important that natural monopolies are able to carry out their investment programmes and place their orders with Russian companies.