Medvedev to visit Poland before year’s end: ambassador

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is to visit Poland before the end of 2010, Moscow’s new ambassador to Warsaw, Alexander Alekseev, told reporters in the Polish capital Tuesday.

“This visit will take place before the end of the year,” Alekseev said, adding that it would “give a fresh start to relations” between Poland and Russia.

During a visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to Warsaw on September 2, his Polish counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski said that a series of agreements were being prepared ahead of the Russian president’s visit.

Alekseev on Tuesday urged “improvement in the structure of trade” between the two countries and said it was “time to begin cooperation in the area of investments”.

“The Russian market is waiting for Polish companies,” he said, adding that Russia could also invest in Poland in areas like “energy, metals and chemicals”.

Alekseev also said that talks on a Russian-Polish natural gas agreement were expected to go ahead Saturday in Moscow between Polish and Russian negotiators and the European Commission.

Poland covers 30 percent of its natural gas needs from domestic sources, 40 percent of its annual consumption is supplied by Russia while the remainder comes from other countries.