FROM EIR DAILY ALERT

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St. Petersburg Forum To Be Center of Bilateral Meetings with President Putin

May 24, 2018 (EIRNS)—Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold several crucial bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum today, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, and IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde.

Putin will have “full-format” talks with Macron and

“plans to exchange opinions on current international and regional issues, including the situation in Southeastern Ukraine, ways to resolve the crises in Syria and Lebanon, and problems related to the Middle East peace process,”

Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said.

The leaders

“plan to discuss the prospects of maintaining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on regulating the Iranian nuclear program after the U.S. unilateral withdrawal from the agreement,”

he stated.

Also on the agenda is the participation of France’s Total in the Arctic LNG-2 project and, according to Ushakov, Putin and Macron plan to “sign several inter-ministerial and commercial documents,” aimed at boosting cooperation between Moscow and Paris. He did not elaborate on their contents, as “the list is currently a work in progress.”

The two Presidents will also meet with the participants of the French-Russian civil society forum, the Trianon Dialogue, and be briefed on the results of its work and discuss future agenda on May 25. The Trianon Dialogue was created as a result of Putin’s discussions with Macron when he made his official visit to France.

In the Russian President’s meeting with Chinese Vice President Wang Qishan, they will focus on further development of Russian-Chinese relations, primarily economic cooperation, Ushakov said.

During the meeting with IMF leader Lagarde, “an exchange of opinions on the situation in the global economy is anticipated,” Ushakov explained.