The Russian president said that the country should expand its participation in international commercial projects to strengthen its positions in space industry

Russia must strengthen its positions in global space industry focusing on expansion of its participation in international commercial projects, President Vladimir Putin said Tuesday.

"We must safeguard and strengthen Russia's positions in the global space industry, achieve breakthroughs in space exploration and offer real innovation technologies and sought-after services to the space market," Putin said at a meeting of space industry officials on Roscosmos state space corporation development strategy until 2030.

"Roscosmos must expand its participation in commercial projects…and be more dynamic in access to global markets," Putin stressed.

Meeting on Space Industry Development Up to 2030 to Be Held Soon – Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced Saturday that in a few days he will hold a meeting on the development of the space industry up to 2030.

Earlier this week, the head of Russia's Institute for Biomedical Problems (RIBP) said about the Russia's plans to start developing an international center for interplanetary spaceflights project in 2017.

"In just a few days, we will discuss the strategy for the development of space industry until 2030. A meeting on this matter is set to be held in around five days," the president said at a meeting with workers of the Autodiesel plant in Russia's city of Yaroslavl.