PRAGUE, March 1 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday that political and economic contacts between Russia and the Czech Republic had become much more active recently.

"[Bilateral] trade has reached $5.5 billion," Putin said during talks in Prague with his Czech counterpart Vaclav Klaus.

Klaus said Czech exports to Russia had exceeded $1 billion. He added that Russia was paying close attention to the increased activity of Czech companies on the Russian market, particularly in the metals and mechanical engineering sectors.

Putin's visit is the second leg of his east European tour, and the first time a Russian leader has paid an official visit the Czech Republic in 13 years.