By Xinhua,
Tokyo, Japan : Russian President Dmitry Medvedev arrived in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido on Sunday for the annual summit of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialized nations.
Medvedev, who took office as president in May, will be attending his first G8 summit, which brings together leaders from Britain, Canada, Italy, Japan, France, Germany, Russia and the United States.
Host Japan has made climate change a top theme for talks at the gathering, which opens on Monday, to build on the outcome of last year’s summit in Germany, where leaders agreed to seriously consider a target of halving greenhouse gas emissions by mid- century.
The leaders will also discuss the world economy and African development and have outreach sessions with leaders of some developing countries to discuss the world’s pressing problems.
In Hokkaido, Medvedev is expected to meet other leaders during the summit, including U.S. President George W. Bush and Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda, both of whom arrived in Toyako earlier in the day and held bilateral talks.