VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
"During the talks we held behind closed doors, the Finnish Prime Minister appealed to us to review the issue of duty-free birch deliveries for the Finnish timber processing industry. I believe we could expand the parameters and hence the volume of such deliveries to our partners abroad. The issue concerns the so-called birch supply balance, which is birch timber with a diameter of up to 15 cm. "
"On the whole - and I would like to draw your attention to this - there is more and more support in Europe for the diversification of energy routes. Just recently, as you know, the Danish Government has granted permission to lay the pipeline through its economic zone, for which we would like to thank that country's leadership."
"Germany is Russia’s leading trade and economic partner. Last year, Russia-Germany trade exceeded $60 billion. This year it will be considerably smaller because of the crisis. However, I was pleased and even surprised to learn that in January through April German investment in the Russian economy grew 36%. It is proof that our relations have been growing despite problems in the global economy and our countries' economies. Moreover, import and export between Russia and Germany is balanced, and our relations are sufficiently diversified."
"As for export duties on unprocessed lumber, we take our producers' and their foreign partners' problems into account. So we have postponed the planned increase in export duties to a prohibitive 50 euros per 1 cubic metre. We will announce our final decision quite soon. As for next year, we will proceed from the current situation."
"We have several issues to discuss with you. Brunei is one of the largest producers of liquefied natural gas, and Russia is also beginning to develop this commodity. We are also aware of your efforts to diversify the country's economy by developing high-tech industry and farming."
"As for bilateral talks with our Chinese partners and our work within the SCO, we primarily focus on economic interaction. Unless you consider our agreements with China to notify each other of ballistic missile launches, which I believe a signal event. It is an extremely important achievement that will strengthen trust between countries in a highly sensitive sphere of strategic weapons. It is an additional element of full-scale strategic relations, comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and China. And a crucial element at that."
"I'd like to remind you about something we consider an important result in our discussions, and that is the agreement reached with our Chinese partners regarding Rostom's involvement in the second stage of the construction at the Tianwan Nuclear Power Plant. I think this is one of the most important agreements reached during this visit."
"We have started implementing the agreements reached earlier on crude oil extraction. We will extract it on our territory and transport it. Remember, how few people believed that we could build the pipeline system under the difficulties faced in Siberia: without any transport, communications or energy infrastructure. In a very short period of time, we have built over 2,000 kilometres of pipeline. And it's more than just a big pipe, you don't just dig a trench and put it in the ground, it's a highly complex, state of the art system, and then in addition there's the accompanying infrastructure. We did it. And it was, of course, an absolute success."
"I am very glad that you and I are meeting individually within the context of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation forum. The relationship between the Russian Federation and Pakistan has been developing very well as of late. This concerns both our political contacts and our economic interaction. Nevertheless, as far as economic interaction is concerned, trade between our two countries is so far very insignificant. But we are putting into place mechanisms for cooperation. One of these is the intergovernmental commission, which we need to launch as soon as possible."
"Even during a crisis, Russia and China have demonstrated their capacity for closer economic partnership and ambitious projects. This is grounds for optimism. Most of all I mean our energy partnership. We have come to a consensus on the construction of an oil pipeline from Skovorodino to the Chinese border, and have signed a major credit agreement. The pipeline, which has required ambitious investments, will be ready quite soon."
