President Vladimir Putin described the talks with Federal Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel at the Kremlin as productive, frank and very open. The talks showed that both sides seek to ensure reliable continuation of the development of the Russian-German partnership both in the area of foreign policy and in economic and humanitarian-cultural relations.
Mr Putin noted that bilateral trade with Germany, which reached a figure of $32 billion in 2005, is a good benchmark and foundation for further cooperation with Germany.
Following the meeting, Mr Putin announced that an agreement had been reached with the Federal Chancellor to continue bilateral consultations. The next round of talks between the two countries will take place this April in Tomsk.
The President noted that new agreements have been reached on developing bilateral economic cooperation in new areas, in particular in the area of advanced technology, which will contribute to forming a common economic area in Europe.