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The Week in Germany: Current Affairs October 13, 2006 Putin Visits Dresden and Munich, Talks Trade With Merkel and Stoiber Vladimir Putin met with Angela Merkel on Tuesday in Dresden where the sixth Petersburg Dialogue conference between Germany and Russia took place. Talks between the Russian president and the German chancellor focused on energy security issues, trade and the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Merkel, who speaks fluent Russian, stated that Germany is one of Russia's most important trading partners and that trade between the two countries is expanding, adding that efforts are also being made to strengthen cooperation in science and education, according to a government statement. She also said it is important that economic relations be of benefit to both sides and that they be based on reliable rules. Putin, who speaks fluent German, was an agent of the former Soviet Union's KGB intelligence service in Dresden from 1985 to 1990. "I love this city," he said. He describes visits to Dresden as like "going home". Accompanied by Merkel, he attended the Petersburg Dialogue meeting of some 200 Russian and German academic and political experts and visited the city's lavishly restored "Green Vault" museum housing treasures of the former Saxon royal family. On Wednesday, he met with Bavarian Minister President Edmund Stoiber
in Munich, where trade was once again high on the agenda. Putin praised
the "efficient and active" policies of Bavarian enterprises
in Russia, according to Spiegel Online. He underscored the need for strong
cooperation not only with Moscow, but also within regions. Bavarian companies
are "reliable partners" on the Russian market, he said. Of some
4,500 German companies operating in Russia, 1,000 are Bavarian. Links:
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