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
“Mutual trade grew to almost $40 billion. In the volume of trade Russia ranks first among Turkey's trade and economic partners, and Turkey ranks fifth on the list of Russia's partners, above the United States, Great Britain and Japan.”
“Gaz de France is our long-term, reliable and stable partner, one of the biggest European energy companies. We know about the level of your competence in gas liquefaction, and are interested in cooperating with you in this and in other directions - transportation, electric power, and renewable energy sources. On the whole, energy industry is a major component of our cooperation with the French Republic. In this context, we are pinning great hopes on cooperation with such European grandees as GDF.”
"We took the fundamental decision to develop high-level timber processing in Russia. We announced these plans long ago, we set them out, and our partners recognise this. We will accommodate our traditional partners. However, I would like to stress again that the strategic plans to develop timber processing within the Russian Federation remain unchanged. And that means that we must agree in due course about how we will go forward and how we will build our relations in this sensitive area."
"Should the Finnish Government make a decision regarding the future development of nuclear energy, Russian companies would be interested in participating in the relevant tenders. And I do not doubt that the bids put forward by them will be competitive in their financial and technical criteria, and in terms of safety requirements."
"In this regard, I would like to mention, first and foremost, the organisation of high-speed passenger train links between St Petersburg and Helsinki, which aims to cut the journey time to 3.5 hours. On the Russian side, this project is being implemented under a public-private partnership. Its overall cost is around $2.5 billion, over a third of which is allocated from budget resources. The positive experience accrued here could be successfully applied to other areas of cooperation."
"The crisis did not shake Russia off course for its future integration into the global economy. I am certain that Russia's imminent accession to the WTO and the OECD, on mutually acceptable, non-discriminatory conditions, will promote increased stability in global trade and economic systems."
"The most important one being the clearly expressed mutual desire for the expansion of our partnership. We are united on the fact that it is vital to create an environment that is as favourable as possible to joint business initiatives, industrial cooperation, and joint investment streams. Moreover, we have something to start from. Last year we attained a record trade turnover of more than $22 billion. Russia became Finland's most important partner, ranking first in terms of trade."
"High technologies certainly dominate our bilateral relations. This directly concerns energy industry. Russian companies are among Finnish thermal power plants' suppliers. Our partnership is quite smooth in electric energy in general, and has good prospects in nuclear energy."
"Open-hearted neighbourly relations have taken shape between Russia and Finland, and between their populations, within the preceding decades. There relations are surely a value to be cherished and protected. If problems arise in the private sphere-in families, they can be put up with, and the people concerned should get help. It is inadmissible, however, to involve public services and servants in such controversies."
"Today we must adapt trade and economic contacts to the global economic realities. We must concentrate on the most advantageous directions of our cooperation, such as energy, transport, the timber sector, and a range of arctic technologies, including ship building. Maybe, the latter should come first. The energy sphere includes supply of hydrocarbons, nuclear power engineering, the power plant industry, renewable energy sources, and so on."
"Allow me to recall that during Mr Prime Minister's visit to Moscow, duties on exports of rough wood were frozen at the request of the Finnish side. We also met our Finnish partners halfway and reopened the Torfyanovka international checkpoint to commercial vehicle transport traffic. There are other examples of mutual concessions."
"The situation in the global economy is far from simple, and we feel the effects of the crisis in our countries. However, I would like to say that our cooperation is a factor that helps us to stand up at the time of trial. Look at our energy cooperation: Russian partners provide everything the Finnish economy needs regularly, on time and in the required amount. I am referring to oil, gas, coal, electricity and chemicals."
"Russia joining the Convention Concerning International Carriage of Goods by Rail (COTIF). This step will create the conditions for expanding the railway ferry service link between the Russian ports of Baltiysk and Ust-Luga and the German port Sassnitz-Mukran, and in future ports in other European countries. Russian transporters will be able to independently configure their railway routes to the Baltic."
"We attach great importance to the development of inter-parliamentary ties. Only by drawing on the broad support of all political forces in our countries is it possible to develop relations in the positive key, as has always been the case."
"I would like once again to reaffirm Russia's support, the Russian Government's support for the lawful Government of Moldova, and for the President of Moldova. We are very glad that the period of internal political tension has passed. In our opinion the Moldovan authorities acted very rationally, reacting calmly even to acts of hooliganism. We expect this process will be over soon. It is even more vital, given the conditions of the global financial and economic crisis, that political stability guarantees the resolution of difficult economic and social tasks."
"We highly value the position of Kazakhstan for its consistent support in the implementation of all integration programmes in the post-Soviet space. It is only natural that in the current difficult conditions our countries have chosen to unite their potentials in countering the negative consequences of the global financial and economic crisis."
"We are going to step up efforts in carrying out a package of measures envisaged by our plan of joint action for 2009-2010. The plan provides for joint study and exploration of space, and cooperation in the fuel-and-energy sector, gas and electric power industries, peaceful uses of nuclear energy, and the military-technical sphere."
"We believe it is necessary to make the best possible use of the advantages and potentialities of integration for increasing reciprocal investment and trade and carrying out joint projects. In this sense, the proposed customs union should become a major instrument for overcoming the crisis and resuming economic growth."
"We are starting the budget planning process for the following year and we must begin it proceeding from the parameters that exist today and from the forecasts being made on the basis of current indicators. This is a challenge, and it will require serious, thoughtful and responsible work from us. In this connection some areas of joint work are extremely important between such strategic partners as Russia and Kazakhstan. We are indeed very important partners for each other. Suffice it to say that our trade last year was almost $20 billion."
"I would like to note our successes in cross border cooperation. Thus, restrictions on movement over the Mumansk-Kirkenes highway were lifted in 2008, and talks are currently underway on drafting an agreement for reciprocal trips of citizens residing in Russia and Norway's adjacent territories."
