Vladimir Putin and George W. Bush will discuss Russia's bid to join the World Trade Organization during their 45-minute meeting at an airport in western Moscow, where the American leader will land for a refueling stop before traveling to Vietnam for a Pacific Rim economic forum.
The U.S. has agreed to sign a bilateral protocol, opening the way for Russia to join the WTO. The country's presidents are expected to ink the document on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, on November 19.
Kremlin aide Sergei Prikhodko said the U.S. agreement to sign the document - after drawn-out disputes over Russia's restrictions on foreign access to its financial system and on U.S. meat imports - "means that they have the political will to promote trade-economic and political ties with Russia. It is a tribute to Bush and the U.S. leadership."
The Russia-U.S. bilateral protocol will end six years of Russia's negotiations with the 60-nation Working Party on Russia's accession to the WTO. Russia, the largest economy outside the 149-nation alliance, has yet to sign bilateral agreements with Sri Lanka, and the former Soviet republics of Moldova and Georgia, with which relations are strained.
Putin and Bush are also expected to discuss the fragile security situation in Iraq, and Iran's controversial nuclear program, Prikhodko said.
The Bush administration came under increased pressure to improve post-invasion Iraq's security situation after the Democrats gained control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate in last week's mid-term elections.
"The Russian president may inform his counterpart on Moscow's efforts to resolve the situation around Iran's nuclear program, including during the recent visit of Iran's Security Council Secretary Ali Larijani," he said.
Top nuclear negotiator Larijani paid a three-day visit to Moscow last week to discuss EU-proposed sanctions against the country over its nuclear program, which Iran insists is purely geared towards nuclear-generated electricity, despite international fears that it is part of a nuclear weapons program.
