Russian PM: Russia, Ukraine to strengthen cooperation

Russia would strengthen cooperation with Ukraine in various areas as the two countries remained important strategic partners, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said Wednesday. "In order to continue cooperation and develop economic relations between Russia and Ukraine, we have agreed with the (Ukrainian) prime minister, and the presidents have been negotiating this as well, to advance our work in a number of sectors," Medvedev said. Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin had recently visited several Ukrainian enterprises and had seen cooperation potential in the fields of defense and space exploration, he said. Medvedev and First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov met visiting Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Yury Boiko here. Medvedev also called on stability and order in Ukraine after protests broke out there over the Ukrainian government suspending the signing of an association agreement with the European Union, saying Russia had been "closely following" the development. Medvedev's spokesperson said the prime minister spoke by phone with Ukrainian counterpart Mykola Azarov on Tuesday. Ukraine's parliament on Tuesday rejected a no-confidence motion against Azarov's government. The opposition collected only 186 votes of the 226 needed to oust the government.