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President Mary McAleese will make the first official visit to Russia by an Irish head of state next week, her office said Friday.
McAleese would leave Ireland for the four day visit to Moscow and St Petersburg on September 7 accompanied by a trade delegation of some 30 companies and agencies.
During the visit she will meet Russian President Dimitry Medvedev, Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov, the governor of St Petersburg Mrs Valentina Matvienko and Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church.
She will lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow and visit the memorial to the siege of Leningrad in St Petersburg.