Addressing the G8 finance ministers gathered in Moscow for the first meeting during Russia's presidency, President Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia is going to adopt just such an approach when proposing issues for the summit's agenda in St Petersburg. The chosen issues are the following: international energy security, the struggle with infectious diseases, and problems related to education.
Vladimir Putin emphasized that Russia believes that these questions are extremely important for the whole international community as well as for Russia's partners within the G8. And today all of these issues are priorities for Russia itself, who is embarked on large-scale tasks concerning economic modernization, the development of human capital, and strengthening its position in the world's financial and economic system.
The Russian leader gave an overview of the main items on the agenda of this year's G8 summit.
At the end of his opening address, President Vladimir Putin expressed his conviction that Russia's work in various formats, including in the meeting between G8 finance ministers, would help the search for finding more effective joint solutions to the tasks at hand.