Halonen and Putin discuss border lorry queues at Moscow meeting

Logistical difficulties at the Finnish-Russian - primarily the long queues of goods transport vehicles waiting to cross from Finland into Russia - took centre stage when Finnish President Tarja Halonen and Russian President Vladimir Putin met in Moscow on Sunday. Putin received Halonen at his residence in Novo-Ogoryovo on the outskirts of Moscow.
      "Putin was very well informed on the matter, and knew that I had been at the border to examine the situation. The Russians have made the necessary decisions, and now the decisions need to be efficiently implemented", Halonen said after the meting.
      She said that the two leaders would be in touch on the matter in the coming days. At that time a decision is to be made on whether or not more meetings of officials will be needed to resolve the situation.
     
At the beginning of their meeting Putin emphasised that he was especially pleased to discuss bilateral matters. One such issue is the planned undersea natural gas pipeline, that Estonia does not want running through its economic zone.
      "I was the one who once proposed that the shore on the Estonian side should be examined, as it is safer. So now the other option is being examined", Halonen said.
      The Finnish President emphasised that Finland does not have "mystically negative suspicions" about the Russian-German project. She also told Putin that the planned environmental assessment "needs to be proper and serious".
     
During her visit to Moscow, Halonen also met with Russia's new Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov. President Halonen described Zubkov as "serious, and a bit shy".
      "But Putin was also like that at the beginning", she added.
      Since Zubkov took office, there has been speculation that he might become the next president.
     
The meeting between Putin and Halonen comes at a time when public debate on security policy has been heating up in Finland.
      Defence Minister Jyri Häkämies (Nat. Coalition Party) caused a stir recently with a speech he made during a visit to the United States, in which he put special emphasis on Russia being the biggest foreign policy challenge for Finland.
      Although it raised eyebrows in Finland, the speech went largely unnoticed in Russia, and President Halonen said that the issue did not come up during the meeting of the two presidents.
     
Sunday's meeting was the second between the Finnish and Russian presidents this year. Halonen has come under some criticism for not securing an invitation to the White House to meet with President George W. Bush.
      It has been reported that such a meeting is being arranged for Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen.
      Halonen noted that during the recent General Assembly of the United Nations, she met Bush at least three times in the same day.
      "I have to repeat that in none of the discussions that I have had with the President of the United States, have I had the kinds of problems that have been talked about in Finland", Halonen said.
     
On Sunday evening Halonen attended the 90th birthday celebrations of Yuri Jjubimov, director of the Taganka Theatre.
      Halonen said to Putin that they both should try to reach an age at which they could celebrate their 90th birthdays.
     
On Monday President Halonen is attending the opening of a waste water treatment plant in St. Petersburg. Already on Sunday evening, Halonen and Putin discussed the ecological condition of the Baltic Sea.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Häkämies in Washington: Russia Finland´s greatest challenge (7.9.2007)
  Nearly all St. Petersburg sewage to be treated within five years (7.5.2007)
  Minister Huovinen: Lines of trucks caused by inefficiency of Russian Customs (10.11.2006)
  Customs consider closing border to curb lorry queue (27.9.2007)
  Prime Minister Vanhanen to visit USA, President Halonen to Russia (21.9.2007)
  Russia´s likely new PM familiar to many Finns (13.9.2007)