Arroyo due home Sunday from Russia

MANILA, Philippines — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is due to return from Russia on Sunday, bringing home an assurance from Russian President Dmitry Medvedev that Russia will approve an air flight agreement between the two countries. A Malacañang statement said the Russian leader assured that the Moscow's Ministry of Transportation would give the thumbs-up to the air agreement. "The direct flight between the Philippines and Russia is a go," Press Secretary Cerge Remonde declared after a 45-minute bilateral meeting Friday on the sidelines of the 13th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. He described Medvedev's assurance as a "major, major" accomplishment of Mrs. Arroyo's three-day official visit to attend the 13th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. Remonde said the Russian leader told Mrs. Arroyo the delay in the approval of the agreement was a "mere bureaucratic matter," and that he would instruct the Ministry of Transportation to act immediately on the pending accord. Mrs. Arroyo met with tourism officials in Moscow before proceeding to St. Petersburg. The Palace said the absence of a direct flight between the Philippines and Russia was a major setback to the two countries' tourism programs. It said Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo had been authorized to sign the agreement on behalf of the Philippine government, but his Russian counterpart has yet to receive the go-signal to sign the accord. Before proceeding to the economic forum, Medvedev escorted Mrs. Arroyo on a tour of the exhibit of new Russian products and processes outside the main venue of the forum. Meanwhile, St. Petersburg and Cebu province have signed two agreements, setting the stage for heightened economic, trade and cultural relations. The first document is an Agreement on Friendship and Cooperation between the governments of the city of St. Petersburg of the Russian Federation, and Cebu province. The other is an Agreement of Cooperation between the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SPCCI) and the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI). Both accords were signed in the presence of Mrs. Arroyo. Other witnesses included First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo, Romulo, Remonde, Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and other Philippine officials. Under the agreement, the Cebu provincial administration and the government of St. Petersburg vowed to develop economic, trade, technical and cultural cooperation through direct interaction between government officials of the two parties and economic entities. They also agreed to "promote the development of effective forms of joint industrial and commercial activities ... create favorable conditions for the development of comprehensive linkages of the economic activities." The two sides also agreed to jointly organize festivals, cultural events, and facilitate the development of mutually beneficial tourism activities. Mrs. Arroyo and her delegation proceeded to Russia after a three-day official visit in Seoul, South Korea. - GMANews.TV