Russian President Dimitry Medvedev and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday they aim to overcome the objections of their neighbours to a gas pipeline planned under the Baltic Sea to pipe Russian gas directly to Germany, according to dpa. Merkel stressed that the Nord Stream pipeline was not intended to harm anyone. Poland, in particular, has expressed concern at being bypassed, fearing for its future energy security. Medvedev said the pipeline, in which Russia's Gazprom has a controlling 51-per-cent stake, would facilitate gas supplies to "the whole European continent." There have also been objections to the 1,200-kilometre pipeline, from Vyborg in Russia to Greifswald in Germany, on environmental grounds from Sweden and other countries. Medvedev, a former Gazprom chairman, said the pipeline was on schedule to begin pumping gas by 2011. On his first visit to Europe since taking office on May 7, the Russian president highlighted progress towards a new partnership agreement between Russia and the European Union. "The European perspective is very important to Russia. The EU is out most important trading partner," Medvedev told a press conference after meeting Merkel. Talks on a new partnership deal begin in earnest at the EU-Russia summit to be held in Khanty-Mansiisk in Siberia at the end of this month after Poland and Lithuania lifted their objections. The two leaders also discussed Russia's legal system, Medvedev acknowledging deficiencies. "Our legal system is in a phase of development," he said, stressing that reform was a "key task." In this regard, they discussed the case of Mikhail Khodorkovsky, with Medvedev insisting the jailed billionaire should not receive special treatment. "Pardoning offenders should not be part of negotiations at state level between politicians," Medvedev said. Khodorkovsky was found guilty of fraud in May 2005 and sentenced to 10 years in a Siberian jail, but many foreign observers have seen a political motive behind the sentence, as Khodorkovsky had backed opposition political movements, and the German government has been active in pressing for his case to be reconsidered. Medvedev's speech on foreign policy to the German-Russian Forum later Thursday, addressing major international themes for the first time since he took office, was being keenly awaited for signs he may take a less confrontational course than that of his predecessor, Vladimir Putin. Apart from talks with Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the 42-year-old Russian leader was also to meet German President Horst Koehler during his eight-hour visit. Speaking ahead of the visit, Merkel highlighted Germany's position as Russia's largest trading partner, with total trade running at 57 billion euros (88 billion dollars) last year. In 2007, German imports of Russian oil and gas totalled 20.0 billion euros or almost a third of total German gas and oil imports. Germany also imports metals and other raw materials. Trade between the two is roughly in balance - the German statistical office valued imports from Russia at 28.8 billion euros, while exports rose 20 per cent to 28.2 billion euros. Russian imports mainly machinery, vehicles and chemicals from Germany. Some 4,500 German companies have set up shop in Russia, and further direct investment in both directions is set to form a key aspect to the talks in Berlin. Medvedev stressed the need for more investment. "Nothing brings people closer than doing business together," he said. While the Berlin visit was the first by the new Russian president to a Western nation, European commentators noted that he had paid visits to China and Kazakhstan after being sworn in on May 7, before turning his attention westwards. German politicians are also hoping for an end to the kind of rhetoric Putin deployed at the February 2007 Munich Security Conference when he reawakened memories of the Cold War by accusing the United States of seeking to lead a "unipolar world" and of adopting a "very dangerous" foreign policy.
