Finnish President urges Medvedev to fight climate change

Halonen praises “President of a new generation” during visit to St. Petersburg Economic Forum

Dmitri Medvedev

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President Tarja Halonen has urged Russian President Dmitri Medvedev to take a more visible role in preparations for the December climate summit in Copenhagen. The aim would be to bring both the United States and developing economies into the effort.
      “He seemed very interested”, Halonen told Helsingin Sanomat in St. Petersburg on Friday.
     
Halonen visited the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, and was very pleased with her meeting with the Russian President
      “Medvedev is a president of the new generation.”
      The Finnish President has met with Russian leaders frequently during the past month and a half. In late April she met with Medvedev in Helsinki, and on Wednesday last week she met Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, with whom she also discussed climate change.
     
Halonen took a relaxed view of sharp statements made by Putin and what were seen to be fairly tense negotiations between Putin and Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre Party).
      “I feel that the prime ministers maintained a respectful atmosphere during their discussions.”
      The presidents did not discuss the case of Anton Salonen, a young boy at the centre of a Finnish-Russian child custody case, who was recently smuggled back to Finland by a Finnish diplomat. They only briefly discussed the issue of Russia’s export tariffs on wood.
      “They are clearly the responsibility of the prime ministers.”
     
Halonen was the only European head of state at the forum, which brought together the entire Russian political leadership and representatives of all of Russia’s leading companies.
      “[Halonen’s presence] emphasises our good relations, and the fact that there is so much in common between us, and it is not only linked with the Northern European gas pipeline, or the export tariffs on wood”, said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov.
     
The possibilities of Finnish companies to take part in the massive projects planned for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi came up in discussions between Minister of Economic Affairs Mauri Pekkarinen (Centre Party) and Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Zhukov.
      According to Zhukov, Finnish know-how is needed especially in the construction of Sochi Olympic University. Ten Finnish companies have jointly set up Sofi Oy, a company that hopes to be a sufficiently large partner for Olympic negotiations with the Russians.
      One option that has been put forward was that the financing of the projects could be handled partly through a natural gas deal between Finland and Russia.
      “It has not been openly brought forward, but it is a possibility. It depends on the Russian partner”, Pekkarinen said.
     
Medvedev opened the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday with a speech which lacked grandiose declarations of boosting Russia’s great power status.
      Instead, Medvedev emphasised that the economic crisis will require cooperation between countries, and a thorough reform of the international financial sector.
      The President denounced protectionism and emphasised the need to reform the world’s reserve currency system. The aim of such a move would be to make the rouble a reserve currency as well.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  President Halonen understands Putin’s sharp stand on Anton Salonen case (5.6.2009)
  Putin denounces diplomat for helping smuggle Anton out of Russia (4.6.2009)
  Halonen pleased with yield of Medvedev visit (22.4.2008)

Helsingin Sanomat