MOSCOW, January 16 (RIA Novosti) - Russian-German trade reached a new high of $32 billion in 2005, Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel Monday.
The two leaders agreed to meet again in the Siberian city of Tomsk in April for further discussions on economic cooperation.
Merkel, on her first official visit to Russia, said that a "good foundation for partnership had been laid at the leaders' previous meeting, in Berlin in September.
Germany is Russia's leading trade partner and the two countries have forged close business links, particularly in the energy sector, where German companies have been quick to sign deals with Russian energy giant Gazprom.
German utility E.On holds a 6.5% stake in Gazprom, and is a partner in the scheme to construct a gas pipeline from Russia under the Baltic Sea directly to Germany, bypassing Ukraine's land-based pipelines. Also a member of the consortium is chemicals firm BASF, owner German gas company Wintershall, which also operates the Wingas joint venture with Gazprom.
