Medvedev declares importance of Russia-Singapore contacts for bolstering Russian presence in Asia Pacific region
MOSCOW. May 19 (Interfax) - Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is expecting the visit of Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to Moscow to bolster bilateral cooperation and Russia's presence in the Asia Pacific region.
"I am very glad that the Singaporean prime minister is visiting our country, moreover that the visit is so substantive - you have visited Moscow, have spoken with colleagues, we are holding negotiations today and after that you will head for the Russia-ASEAN summit," Medvedev told Lee.
"This is very useful for strengthening Russian-Singaporean interaction and Russia's presence in the region, for the purposes of better understanding of the developments in ASEAN countries," he said.
The Russian prime minister believes that bilateral negotiations will bear fruit. "Hopefully, they will make an input to our relations, which have been developing rather well in recent years, in particular, with your active participation," he said.
The Singaporean prime minister said his previous visit to Moscow was paid in 1978. He said he was pleased to visit and to have an opportunity to develop relations with Russia. Cooperation, trade and cultural relations with Russia are developing, the prime minister said.