Finland will host the EU-Russia summit next week, expected to launch negotiations for a new EU-Russia framework agreement, which will cover wide-ranging trade and energy policy issues, according to a Wednesday press release from the Finnish government.

The summit, set for Nov. 24 in the capital Helsinki, will also focus on cooperation between the European Union (EU) and Russia in areas such as energy, environment, culture, justice and home affairs.

The EU delegations will be led by Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, whose country is holding the current EU rotating presidency, and the Russian delegation, by President Vladimir Putin.

The EU will also be represented by President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and EU Foreign Policy Chief, Javier Solana.

Key international issues such as Iran, the Middle East, the Western Balkans and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea will also be discussed during the meeting.

The EU-Russia summit will be paralleled with a separate high-level Northern Dimension meeting, which involves the EU, Russia, Norway and Iceland.

The Northern Dimension meeting aims to replace the current Northern Dimension Action Plans by a new framework document.

Source: Xinhua