TOMSK, April 27 (RIA Novosti) - Angela Merkel and President Vladimir Putin are meeting Thursday with participants of a Russian-German economic forum being held on the fringes of the German chancellor's current visit to Russia.
The forum, in the West Siberian oil city of Tomsk, includes representatives of major companies from both countries, including German energy utility E.ON, chemical company BASF, telecommunications giant Siemens, and Deutsche Bank.
Russian firms present include energy giant Gazprom, electricity monopoly Unified Energy System, Russian Railways, telecoms and services holding AFK Sistema and steel producer Severstal.
The forum is being held jointly with a high-profile visit to Tomsk by the German chancellor for talks covering bilateral cooperation, particularly in the energy sector, and the Iranian nuclear crisis.
A number of major deals are expected to be signed between Russian and German businesses during Merkel's visits, sources said.
