(Source: Daily News Bulletin; Moscow - English)
MOSCOW. Oct 6 (Interfax) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will focus on trade and economic cooperation during a working visit to Russia on October 6-7, a Kremlin source told Interfax on Monday.
"This visit is a good opportunity to sum up efforts taken since the previous Russian trips of the Israeli premier and to update bilateral action plans," the source said.
The new visit paid at the invitation of Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is the third trip of Olmert to Moscow. His earlier visits took place in October 2006 and in October 2007.
Bilateral trade topped $2.5 billion in 2007, the source said.
"Maximizing the potential of mutually beneficial business partnership between Russia and Israel is the main focus of further efforts," the source said.
It is possible to launch cooperation in new spheres, such as nanotechnology, and large projects in gas and other industries. The intergovernmental commission co-chaired by Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov is bound to boost the bilateral relations, he said.
An agreement abolishing visa formalities for brief visits of Russian and Israeli citizens is a landmark event, the source said. The agreement entered into force this September.
"The dynamic bilateral relations are important for Russia's interaction with almost 1.5 million Russians living in Israel," the source said.
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