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Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian Prime Minister Mykola Azarov hold bilateral talks in Sochi

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Transcript of the beginning of the meeting:

Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, colleagues,

We're very glad to welcome you to Russia. We have had several positive breakthroughs in our relations lately.

We see how complicated decision-making is in Ukraine, but it's encouraging - and I mentioned this at the government meeting - that the new Ukrainian government not only articulates and clearly expresses its demands, but also follows through on its decisions at home.

No matter how turbulent the process of decision-making is in your country, you see your decisions through to the end, and this shows that the situation in Ukraine is becoming more stable, at least politically. These changes are bound to bring economic stability, although we all understand that the situation is very difficult.

These are difficult times for all of us, but I'm confident that if we continue to work in this consistent and responsive manner, our cooperation will have a positive impact on the economies and social situations in our countries. We are very glad to see you. Welcome!

Mykola Azarov: Thank you.

Mr Prime Minister, members of the Russian delegation,

You have rightly noted that the process of decision-making is very complicated in Ukraine, but this shows that the political process in our country is democratic. We hear and heed different opinions.

We've received a vote of confidence in the elections, and are pursuing the policy that Ukrainians supported.

It is gratifying that trade between our countries grew significantly in the first three months of 2010, as compared to the same period in 2009.

I'd like to thank the Russian government for understanding Ukraine's economic problems. Mutually beneficial decisions will help Ukraine come out of the recession.

I appreciate the work of the sub-commissions under the Economic Cooperation Committee. Each sub-commission submitted a detailed report of the plans for increased cooperation between our two countries in more than 10 areas, including the economy, the oil and gas sector, nuclear energy, the defence industry, education, science and so on.

All these resolutions have been drafted and distributed to members of the commission, and so we can start discussing them immediately.