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
“A great deal has been done in recent years to advance Russian-Chinese relations. We don’t have a single irritant in our relations, but we do have shared interests. We’ve managed to develop effective instruments for achieving our common goals, with the most important of these being higher living standards and socio-economic cooperation.”
“We have ever more opportunities together with our Norwegian partners. I am referring to delimitation agreement in the North. The decisions taken at the political level should proceed to the stage of commercial implementation.”
“We would like very much to see a substantial increase in our trade and economic ties with Japan. However recently we have made significant strides in energy, high technologies and the auto industry, which is especially gratifying. Several Japanese companies have launched production in Russia, and these are very modern, high technology facilities. I hope that our trade and economic ties will grow.”
“China's economic growth is by no means a threat, but a challenge that carries colossal potential for business cooperation – a chance to catch the Chinese wind in the sails of our economy. We should seek to more actively form new cooperative ties, combining the technological and productive capabilities of our two countries and tapping China's potential – judiciously, of course – in order to develop the economy of Siberia and the Russian Far East.”
“I don’t think we are seeing a cooling [with USA]. We have a constant dialogue – we dislike some of the things our colleagues are doing, they don’t like some things we’re doing. But in general we have built a partnership over the key issues on the international agenda.”
“We have agreed on long-term contracts for the delivery of gas to Turkey until 2021 and 2025. I would especially like to thank the Turkish government for its decision to give its final authorisation to Gazprom to build the South Stream gas pipeline system on the Black Sea bed in Turkey’s exclusive economic zone.”
“Turkmenistan is our longstanding and traditional partner in many areas of cooperation, and principally of course in the gas sector. It is pleasing to note that our trade volumes keep growing. Last year this volume grew 33%. This is a very good indicator.”
“We are stepping up cooperation in the energy industry, including major joint initiatives in the oil-and-gas sector, civilian nuclear projects, energy effectiveness and energy-saving. Our French partners are making a practical contribution to the development of new routes for hydrocarbon deliveries to Europe. These routes are vital for the energy security not only of France, but also of the rest of Europe.”
“We are carrying out joint work on a large scale – both in traditional fields of cooperation and in completely new areas. We have just signed the bilateral action programme on partnership in modernisation. Its implementation will help us to enhance cooperation in high-tech spheres and start active work on science-intensive innovation projects.”
“In the Foreign Investment Advisory Council (FIAC) we regularly meet with foreign business executives and together, we decide how we can improve the business climate in Russia. As a result, we have simplified the issue of work visas for highly qualified foreign specialists. More than 11,000 work permits have been issued under the new regulations. We must continue removing the barriers that get in the way of business.”
“We have had many discussions during the process of Russia’s accession into the WTO, about how to organise this work in the future so as not to let down our investors and to fulfill all of our promises to them, on the one hand, while meeting WTO requirements in car assembly, on the other. We have reached a number of compromises, and Russia will shoulder part of the burden in order to honour its commitments to the investors. We are doing this in order to increase the technological level of the automobile industry and to saturate our market with modern competitive goods.”
“Importantly, the mutual flow of capital between our countries keeps growing. In the first half of 2011, the Russian economy received some $5.6 billion in investments from Germany. The amount of German investment that has accrued in the Russian economy has reached $29 billion. These days, German businesses are involved in many of Russia’s economic sectors, including strategic ones, and they operate in almost all of the country’s regions. There are more than 4,000 (4,600, to be precise) enterprises with German involvement currently operating in 80 Russian regions.”
“Of course, the Russia-Germany economic partnership is not limited to energy. We cooperate intensively in mechanical engineering, transport, the automotive industry and in shipbuilding. In this regard, particularly noteworthy are the sizable investments made in the Russian economy by German heavyweights such as Siemens (1 billion euros) and Volkswagen (which, on November 4, launched a new assembly line in Russia’s Nizhny Novgorod, and the company’s plant in Kaluga turned out its 300,000th automobile in October).”
“We are open to broader cooperation and to the consolidation of business ties with our partners. And we believe that the mutual benefits of our cooperation are apparent to everyone. Large-scale joint projects in industry, infrastructure and power engineering provide a good opportunity to make long-term investments, insuring finances against unfavourable fluctuations on the world markets and enabling us to gain a foothold on new emerging markets. To stimulate and solidify economic growth, we need to make the most of our “mutual trust” capital. We’ve accumulated a lot of this with our European partners, notably with members of the German business community. And rather than wasting it, we’ve been steadily building it up in recent years.”
“Educational links are traditionally an important and effective element of the SCO’s activities. In this regard, a major step is establishing SCO University, a project involving some 60 top universities in SCO member states. The university charter will be signed during the Week of Education of SCO Member States «Education without Borders» currently underway in Moscow.”
“I consider establishing the SCO Energy Club a timely step. With assistance from the club, business communication and information exchange can be developed. It is necessary to establish the club’s regulatory framework and its secretariat.”
“We have agreed to speed up work to establish a special account of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation that could become an effective instrument for financing these projects. At the same time, we will address the issue of the Development Bank, an idea proposed by our Chinese partners. <…>We will continue to promote direct contact between our companies, business associations and public entities. In return, we expect active and effective efforts from the SCO Business and Youth councils, which have initiated the Moscow Business Dialogue forum where attendees discuss prospects for interaction in breakthrough areas, such as information technology, Internet communications, e-business and e-commerce.”
“I believe that we need to form a strong infrastructural outline of the Shanghai Organisation. Primarily, we need this in order to further expand our respective national economies, and to create new points of growth and additional opportunities for the people of our nations. Secondly, this will help realise the huge transit potential of the region and secure its role as a link between Europe and the Asian-Pacific Region.”
“The prompt restoration of peace and stability in Afghanistan is our common goal. Russia is prepared to participate in projects that seek to restore the Afghan economy, and we will continue to provide necessary assistance to our Afghan friends. All SCO member countries require proper conditions and guarantees for safe and steady development. We must provide secure protection against all threats and risks to our citizens.”
“During the decade of its operation, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation has become an influential international forum, and has built up a significant capacity to develop the economy, and strengthen stability and security in the region. I share the perspective that our colleagues expressed earlier, that with our combined efforts we will be able to bring the work of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation to a whole new level and achieve the ambitious goal of transforming our organisation into a foundational structure of the global economic and political architecture, an effective platform for cooperation between regional associations and an avenue for expanding dialogue with neighbouring countries.”
“The development of Russian-Chinese relations both in foreign policy and economics has an undoubted effect on the welfare of our people. That is why we attach such great significance to their promotion. In this context, contacts are important not only between heads of state and government, but also between the parliaments of our countries.”
“We will create incentives to promote closer industrial cooperation, working to forge promising technological alliances, to implement infrastructure projects, and to increase mutual capital investment. Our aim is to diversify trade and economic ties between our two countries. We have already developed a whole set of tools to carry out such tasks, including the Investment Cooperation Plan and the Programme of Interaction between Regions of the Far East, Eastern Siberia and Northeastern China.”
“We’re also planning to lay new energy routes. As you know, the Skovorodino-Daqing oil pipeline has been pumping crude oil since January 1, 2011. Russian and Chinese companies are beginning to work together to locate and develop new oil and natural gas deposits, including on the continental shelf. We’re already nearing the final stage of our work on natural gas supplies to the Chinese market. Preparations are underway for the construction of a large oil refinery in China’s Tianjin.”
“I think everyone would agree that given the current difficulties in the world economy, in the United States and in the European Union, Russian-Chinese cooperation plays a stabilising role and benefits both our economies and our nations.”
“In the course of our 16th prime ministerial meeting, we discussed in detail some of the recent issues of bilateral cooperation in almost every sphere. Our talks today reaffirmed the truly strategic nature of our relations. The political dialogue between the two countries continues to advance, the horizons of their cultural exchange are expanding, and their economic and regional cooperation is growing stronger.”
“Are we going to join NATO or EU? No, we aren’t. We believe we are in a position to defend ourselves. As for the EU, we will continue to expand our relations with the European Union. <…> However, our primary goal is not to join alliances or achieve other political or administrative goals. Russia’s main goal is to improve its citizens’ standard of living. We will focus on achieving this goal.”
“Russia has a special relationship with China, and not only because it is a close neighbour. We share many tasks and have common problems and common views on many processes under way in the international community. China is Russia’s strategic partner in the true and direct sense of this word.”
“Our trade and economic relations are making headway. Last year trade increased by 25%, and in the first half of this year it rose by another 50%. Last year Britain was our biggest trade and economic partner in terms of current investments.”
“Deutsche Bank is our longstanding partner and has been working in Russia since 1881. Over that time, we have made significant progress in various areas of cooperation. <…> This year, for the first time, Russia’s Finance Ministry placed its rouble-denominated domestic bonds on international markets. Deutsche Bank was among the institutions that helped Russia with this. I would like to thank you for your cooperation. The project has gone very smoothly.”
"Finland is not only our good neighbour and friend but also a major trade and economic partner. Last year our trade grew by 28%, and by another 24% in the first five months of this year. We must do everything we can in order to maintain this pace. We see nervousness and turbulence in the international markets, but there is a lot we can do to ensure that our bilateral ties develop rhythmically and as planned, and to make sure that everything is on the rise".
“Today, Russian researchers are participating in four international megaprojects: the Large Hadron Collider operated by the European Organisation for Nuclear Research; the thermonuclear reactor in France (ITER); the European x-ray free electron laser; and the heavy ion accelerator in Germany. Russia contributes both intellectually and financially to international research.”
“Such large-scale projects as the Year of Russia in France and the Year of France in Russia have captured the interest of our people. A new initiative will start next year: the Season of Russian in France and the Season of French in Russia. Such undertakings help us to understand each other better and cherish our common history.”
“Historically, our bilateral cooperation has always been a positive factor in European and world affairs. Let me add that it has always rested on the approval of our people and our civil societies. We rightly take pride in our rich tradition of humanitarian, cultural, scientific, creative, and simply human contacts, and we are committed to continue pursuing them in the future.”
“What is important is for our governments to create the best possible conditions for investment, for the movement of capital in both directions. To achieve this we must use our intergovernmental commission and the business council consisting of representatives of the leading Russian and Swiss companies.”
“We are working together on plans to restore Abkhazia’s economy and social capability. <…>I’m confident that we’ll do all this and travel together along this road of economic recovery and the restoration of the infrastructure and the social sphere. I’m convinced the Abkhazian people will feel safe. They can be sure that Russia, as a close ally and loyal friend, will stand with them and will help them overcome past problems. We will help Abkhazia get on its feet. Everything that I know makes us confident that we’ll carry out our joint plans.”
“Russian-Austrian relations have been improving, moving into a new dimension of a partnership based on trust. <…> Austrians are interested in working in Russia, which is very pleasant. Accumulated Austrian investment in Russia has exceeded $4 billion; actually, it is $4.2 billion. There are hundreds of Austrian companies working in Russia. We are very pleased with this and will do our best to further develop our business partnership.”
“I would like to stress the successful development of Russian-Danish ties at all levels, and the strengthening of contacts between parliaments, agencies and regions.”
“A partnership between Sollers and Ford will bring new technologies into the national auto industry and expand the capacity of the company’s existing operations in several Russian regions.”
“For objective reasons, we will have to purchase a significant share of medical equipment from international manufacturers. <…>I believe that procurement contracts with international companies should include clauses stipulating that they will open new production facilities in Russia and concentrate production in one place to the maximum possible extent, as is done in other industries – for example, the auto industry.”
“We truly appreciate Israel’s attitude to the memory of the tragic past and of the role that the Soviet Union and the Red Army had in fighting Nazism. And we can understand the losses that the Jewish people suffered in the fight against Nazism.”
“During our talks, we had a detailed discussion of the energy industry – particularly, the implementation of ambitious plans in the oil and gas industry and the construction of the Serbian stretch of the South Stream pipeline. <…> Other joint ventures have also been successful: the Banatski Dvor underground gas storage facility will open soon, and there has been generous investment in the modernisation of the NIS (Petroleum Industry of Serbia). Its Russian partner has contributed 500 million euros this year alone.”
“The initiative to set up scientific and cultural centres in Russia and Slovenia holds big potential for humanitarian cooperation. A Russian centre is opening in Ljubljana very soon, and I hope will become a centre of attraction for all those interested in the history of Russia, its art and scientific achievements.”
“I would like to emphasise we are interested in cross investment growth. In 50 Russian regions there are over 200 operating enterprises with Slovenian ownership. We certainly welcome our Slovenian partners’ interest in large-scale cooperation in the Russian market, above all in high-tech.”
“In order to quickly stabilise the energy supply in Japan and close all the gaps in the energy balance, Russia is ready to find a way to increase the supply of natural gas to Japan.”
“Japan is our neighbour. It is a friendly country. We know about the problems that we inherited from the past. But this is a long-term reliable partner. We should do everything to help Japan in this situation.”
“We are holding dynamic negotiations with European countries on introducing visa-free travel between Russia and the European Union. The United States has a visa-free regime with nearly all of the EU countries. If Russia and the United States agreed on visa-free travel before Russia and the European Union do so, it would be a historic step in the development of US-Russian relations.”
“I am pleased to say that Russian investment in the United States keeps growing, including in humanitarian projects and in such sensitive sectors as nuclear engineering. All these projects get the approval of the US Committee on Foreign Investment, which is very gratifying. The number of ties between Americans and Russians keep growing in many spheres at a considerable pace.”
“We have also adopted a large-scale programme for the development of the medical and pharmaceutical industry through to 2020 and look to the broadest possible international cooperation, expecting foreign pharmaceutical firms and companies to establish production capacity in Russian regions, which is actually being done. There are deserving examples in many parts of Russia. What’s more, our colleagues are interested in increasing their localisation by creating new and prestigious jobs while bringing in advanced techniques and quality standards together with innovation.”
“The several dozen Russian companies present in Mongolia are actively investing in the transport infrastructure, railway construction, and the prospecting and development of coal, uranium, and other deposits. No doubt, all this will build upon the export potential of the Mongolian economy – particularly through the use of Russian ports for trade with third-party countries. This mainly concerns the greater use of ports in the Russian Far East.”
“This year Russia and Finland have managed to reverse the negative trends caused by the global economic crisis. Over the first nine months of this year our trade grew by 23% and Russia remains Finland’s largest trade and economic partner. The Russian economy has received a solid amount of direct Finnish investment and major joint projects in infrastructure and innovation continue to be carried out. Finnish companies have invested billions of euros in power generation.”
