TRADE BETWEEN CROATIA AND RUSSIA IS ON THE CONSTANT RISE

( Editorial: --> 3107 ) ZAGREB, Aug 11 (Hina) - Croatian deputy economy minister Neven Mimica and the deputy to the minister of international economic relations and trade of the Russian federation, Roald Piskopel, on Tuesday expressed satisfaction with the constant rise in trade between the two countries. They estimated that the trade of goods could reach US$1 billion by the year 2000. The strengthening of economic relations between Croatia and Russia is based on projects in energy supply, the pharmaceutics industry, shipbuilding industry, telecommunications and construction, Mimica and Piskopel said. They agreed on further activities of relevant state bodies in the future period, such as expediting negotiations on a number of economic agreements between the two countries, as well as the holding of the second session of the Croatian-Russian Joint Committee for economic, technical and scientific cooperation in Moscow by the end of the year. (hina) lml 111828 MET aug 98