Russia and the United States will start an economic dialogue
within a new format in the spring of 2008, the Russian Foreign
Ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
"Given the increased investment and trade between our two
countries, and Russia's growing importance in the world economy,
the United States and Russia will establish a formal economic
dialogue to discuss issues of mutual interest," the ministry said
in a brief joint statement, adopted on Thursday following
consultations between First Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Denisov
and US Under Secretary of State Reuben Jeffery.
The dialogue will include various US departments and agencies,
Russian ministries, and the two countries' respective business
communities. The inaugural meeting of this dialogue will be in the
Spring in Washington D.C., the ministry said.
"The parties discussed prospects of promoting the
Russian-American economic dialogue, whose importance derives from
the increased investment and trade between Russia and the United
States," the ministry said.
"A plan was approved to consider the possibility of launching a
renewed mechanism of Russian-American economic cooperation with the
participation of government agencies and business communities of
the two countries," it said.
(Xinhua News Agency February 1, 2008)