ZURICH, Nov 5 (Reuters) - Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will address the opening of the annual World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, with the financial crisis prompting a record number of business and political leaders to register.

"The record level of annual meeting registrations ... shows the desire for us to collectively deal with the broader problems facing us all," Klaus Schwab, founder and executive chairman of the World Economic Forum, said in a statement late on Tuesday.

"Participants will have an historic opportunity to tackle the key issues facing the world at the moment."

Putin will address the opening of the meeting on Jan. 28. More than 20 heads of state or government, including other Group of Eight countries, have already confirmed their attendance, the organisers said, as well as close to 1,000 business leaders.

As the financial crisis escalated in recent weeks, the WEF restructured the Jan. 28-Feb. 1 meeting at the Swiss mountain resort under a new theme: "Shaping the Post-Crisis World".

The WEF, founded in 1971 as an independent organisation committed to improving the state of the world, will hold a preparatory conference in Dubai starting on Friday.

The last Davos meeting was attended by more than 2,000 businessmen and politicians as well as 24 heads of state. (Reporting by Emma Thomasson; Editing by Jon Boyle)

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