Russian President Dmitry Medvedev opened here on Monday the negotiations with his Bolivian counterpart Evo Morales. The tete-a-tete talk between the two leaders was held in the Green Reception Room of the Grand Kremlin Palace, Itar-Tass reported. Taking part in the narrow format meeting were the Russian President's Aide, Sergei Prikhodko, and the Bolivian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Russia Sergio Sanchez Ballivian. A Kremlin source had earlier reported that the agenda of the negotiations included some “questions linked with the implementation of mutually profitable economic projects”. “They include the extraction of hydrocarbons, development of the gas transportation infrastructure, and the mining industry,” he specified. “Gazprom comes out as motive force in the development of the commercial and economic relations between the two countries. It had signed in recent years several documents on cooperation with the state petroleum and gas company of Bolivia YPFB in the development of Bolivian gas deposits,” Kremlin officials said. “The presidents intend to devote special attention at the negotiations to problems of promoting Russo-Bolivian cooperation in the political, commercial, economic, military-technological and humanitarian domains,” they said. Military-technological cooperation with Bolivia is at the very beginning and the details of such cooperation are to be negotiated, the Head of Federal Service for Military-Technological Cooperation, Mikhail Dmitriyev, told reporters. “We plan to set up either working groups or commissions and to start working,” he said. “Our cooperation is at the very beginning.” According to Dmitriyev, “Bolivia is interested in a wide variety of items alongside helicopters. But all details are still to be discussed.” “Neither sums nor amounts of deliveries have been discussed yet,” Dmitriev said. As for a probable quantity of Russian helicopters to be exported to Bolivia, he said several pieces were on the agenda. The two sides are also discussing payment procedures.
