Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Thursday that he believed the G20 summit in Pittsburgh could lay the cornerstone for the global financial future.

"At the end of the day, we will put together the shape of the new calendar of the financial architecture," the Russian president told a press conference at the University of Pittsburgh.

Medvedev arrived in Pittsburgh after wrapping up his visit to New York for the UN General Assembly. He would join leaders from other 19 countries and international institutions for the two-day meetings, the third of its kind since November 2008.

"I got a good impression of the summit of G20 group and the way we have worked," he said. Since its first meeting in Washington DC, the G20 had put forward some "substantial" and "workable" approaches to address the global economic crisis, Medvedev said.

"There were quite specific measures regarding the future functioning of international financial institutes," he said. "In Pittsburgh, we will define this matter and make determination."

The summit officially started on Thursday night as leaders gathered in the Phipps Conservatory in downtown Pittsburgh for a banquet.

Medvedev remained cautiously optimistic about the outcome of the Pittsburgh summit, saying that leaders had virtually agreed upon many positions concerning the future shape of the international financial system. However, it was still uncertain whether this construct could be concluded at the summit.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2009)