As he opened the meeting, the President of Russia expressed his satisfaction with how relations between Moscow and Berlin are developing. In particular, the head of state noted that in 2006 the volume of Russian-German trade grew by 30 percent and significantly exceeds 30 billion USD. Mr Putin also emphasised that the two countries continue to cooperate actively in the international arena.
On behalf of Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, the German Foreign Minister invited Vladimir Putin to Germany.