OREANDA-NEWS. April 17, 2008. The greeting ceremony for the President of Russia was held at the Al Aziziyah residence of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The leaders of the two countries then inspected the memorial in the Libyan leader's former residence. The memorial is a small two-storey building that bears traces of the American bombing of 1986. The President of Russia left the following message in the book of mourning: "I pay tribute to the victims and mourn together with you".

After the welcome ceremony Vladimir Putin held a private meeting with Muammar Gaddafi.

The heads of state highly praised the prepatory work done before the visit and the package of agreements that they intend to sign.

Vladimir Putin and Muammar Gaddafi discussed the prospects of Russian-Libyan cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy and in issues concerning nuclear non-proliferation. They also discussed cooperation projects in the field of transport infrastructure, addressed security issues in the Persian Gulf and the Middle Eastern settlement. The parties also expressed themselves in favour of strengthening the role of the UN.

The negotiations then continued with the participation of the two countries' delegations.