The agenda included the fight against international terrorism after the terrorist attacks on the United States. Mr Putin and Mr Rau stressed both countries’ interest in closer bilateral partnership.
Mr Putin invited Mr Rau to Russia for a return visit, which was gratefully accepted.
The Presidents attended a ceremony in which a package of agreements on cultural partnership was signed. It included the Joint Statement on German-Russian Cultural Cooperation for 2003–2004, an agreement to prepare the Russian-German historical art exhibition “Berlin-Moscow. Moscow-Berlin. 1950–2000”, and a protocol between the Frankfurt Book Fair directorate and the Russian Ministry of Press, Broadcasting and Mass Communications for Russia’s participation in the fair as a guest of honour.