WIESBADEN (Germany), October 15 (RIA Novosti) - President Vladimir Putin pledged on Monday the continuity of relations with Europe after parliamentary and presidential polls in Russia.

Speaking at a Russian-German annual business forum, Putin said: "As you know, Russia will hold parliamentary and presidential elections soon. And I am positive the new Russian government ... will ensure continuity in cooperation with Germany and Europe."

Parliamentary polls will take place in Russia in December. The Kremlin-backed United Russia party is expected to win a landslide victory. Putin said earlier in October that he would top the party's list of candidates and could become prime minister.

Putin is not allowed under the Constitution to run for a third consecutive term in the elections scheduled in March 2008.

The president also said Russia could amend its 2005 legislation preventing foreign non-governmental organizations from running branch offices in the country and making Russian groups ineligible for most sources of foreign funding. The Kremlin said it was a measure to protect national security. But the law drew a strong reaction from the Council of Europe and rights groups at home and abroad as undemocratic.

"As to civil society, we will study the legislation and if we find it needs to be revised, we will approach the State Duma [the lower house of parliament]," Putin said.

His remarks came after the head of a human rights body, Ella Pamfilova, used the rostrum of the business forum in Germany to highlight the issue complaining about Russian authorities' reluctance to review the law.

Putin is now holding a meeting with Chancellor Angela Merkel, who presides in the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations this year. Their talks are expected to be dominated by Iran's nuclear program, the status of Kosovo, Washington's missile defense plans for Europe, and joint innovation projects.

"We know that we can only resolve major, global problems together," Merkel said ahead of the talks. "We also know that we need to try to find a common path ... even if it is not always easy."

The United States and other Western nations have pushed for stronger sanctions against Iran suspected of seeking to build nuclear weapons under the guise of a civilian nuclear program. Russia has resisted a third set of sanctions against Tehran, which has denied the allegations. Russia is building Iran's first nuclear power plant in Bushehr.

Later on Monday, Putin is expected to travel to the Islamic Republic despite earlier reports that Russian security services had been warned of a plot to assassinate him in Iran.