Putin to speak at Russian Foreign Ministry on July 9
MOSCOW. July 6 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak at a meeting of Russian ambassadors and permanent representatives due to be held at the Russian Foreign Ministry on July 9, the Kremlin said.
Meetings in such a format have been held regularly twice a year since 2002. Their main aim is to align the objectives of the Russian foreign-policy service with the specifics of the current international agenda and domestic processes. By tradition, a key element is the president's speech outlining the main priorities in national foreign policy and emphasizing the key aspects of the work of the foreign-policy service for the near-term perspective.
The event is usually attended by senior officials from the Russian Foreign Ministry, the government, both houses of the Federal Assembly, ministries and government departments involved in international activities, representatives from social organizations, mass media, scientific and business circles.
"The subject of the current, sixth meeting due to be held on July 9-11 this year is 'Russia in a changing world: the continuity of priorities and new opportunities,'" the Kremlin said. "It is expected to be attended by over 500 people," it said.
"The event will focus, in particular, on topics such as Russia's foreign-policy priorities, Eurasian integration processes, assistance in modernizing national economy and innovation, prospects for Russia's military-technical cooperation with foreign states," the statement said.
The program also involves speeches by senior officials from the Russian Foreign Ministry, as well as federal ministries and government departments on the regional and other issues of the Russian foreign policy, problems at the United Nations, the information policy and international energy cooperation, new challenges and threats (combating terrorism, illicit drug trafficking, transnational organized crime, etc.), as well as Russia's presidency in the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Community) in 2012, in the G20 in 2013 and in the G8 in 2014, the Kremlin spokesperson said.
