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
"The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is doing much to alleviate the suffering of people during world conflicts. We have seen that even if you fail to achieve something, you continue to work towards your goal. Regrettably, you still have a lot of work."
“It [European security agreement] would be a legally binding document aimed at guaranteeing real and equal security to European countries, based on clear and simple principles. First, it should guarantee that one nation's security is not ensured at the expense of another's security. Second, it should prevent any country, military union or coalition from taking any actions that could weaken common security and unity. And third, it should prevent development and expansion of military unions from harming other parties in the agreement. We also propose that the new document stipulate basic parameters of control over armaments, including the fundamental principle of reasonable sufficiency and cooperation formats to fight proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, drug trafficking, terrorism and organised crime.”
“Stability and security cannot be the privilege of a limited group of countries or specific international organisations, which aren't universal. Therefore, President Dmitry Medvedev has proposed signing a new European security agreement.”
"A litmus test for humanitarian law is the terrorist threat. Unfortunately, reality is that militant groups are able not only to deal pinpoint strikes, but also to engage in full-scale warfare. In doing so, they fully ignore not only laws, but also the elementary considerations of humanity. This clearly illustrates the issue: how to apply humanitarian law in the context of anti-terrorist moves, how to apply it in the struggle against those who do not recognise any law."
“Our goal is to uphold stability and predictability in strategic relations, and to avoid a legal vacuum in the limitations of nuclear arms.”
“Today's humanitarian law is a major branch of international law and of international life. It is one of the determining factors of international life. It fills one with hope that military technology can be regulated and controlled, and that the spread of so-called "inhumane weapons" be prevented. For this purpose we propose that all nations of the world introduce the practice of specifying all armaments being developed for compliance with the provisions of humanitarian law.”
“As before, observance of humanitarian law everywhere remains paramount. We naturally see two sides. The first is the legitimacy of using force as such, and the second, the lawfulness of using various means and methods of warfare and armaments. And in this case, it is obvious that the ones who violate humanitarian law are above all those who trample under foot the fundamental principles of international public law.”
“It is obvious that the range of issues pertaining to humanitarian law is closely linked to the larger area of international security. I would like to say a few words about that now. What we are witnessing, unfortunately, is the alarming trend of "diluting" the existing legal framework.”
“We are very responsible in relations with all our partners. We are taking a direct part in international anti-crisis efforts, and supporting our allies on a bilateral basis.”
"We have always honoured our commitments. Russia has always been a reliable partner. We told our Finnish partners recently that we are ready to postpone certain decisions because of the current international crisis. We do not want to create any additional problems, and are not going to do it. However, we will have to implement some of the announced decisions, and I would like to draw the attention of all the Government's members to this. We will have to carry them out to protect our national interests".
"We confirm the noteworthy progress of our contacts. Bilateral trade reached $1.3-1.4 billion in 2007, and hit the billion dollar mark in the last eight months of this year. As my colleagues and I have said, we have every reason to expect a $2 billion turnover for the whole year despite global economic problems".
"Generally, we and our Moldovan colleagues have quickly and efficiently come to mutually acceptable decisions of late in the key points of our partnership - energy, trade and agriculture".
"Finland is without any exaggeration one of our most important partners in Europe. Not only because we are neighbours, but also because the figures of our trade turnover suggest this. Our statistics show that in the first six months of this year Russia also became Finland's top partner, ahead of Germany".
"The talks have shown once again that Russia and Finland are determined to make further progress along the road of partnership. We have come to an agreement on extending Finland's lease of the Russian stretch of the Saimen Canal, and have already coordinated a relevant treaty".
"Egypt is certainly one of Russia’s priority strategic partners, without exaggeration. We have a long history of friendship, interaction and practical cooperative work."
"Russia is one of the largest oil producers and exporters, and so cannot stay aside from world price formation. We will develop a package of measures to actively impact the market situation."
“Russia has long-standing good relations with the Arab world and your country. We are glad that the process of normalisation in Lebanon, too, is gathering pace, if only little by little. For all that, we realise that the situation in the region remains complicated. We are ready, as before, to do all we can in the economic sphere and in the sphere of political contacts to normalise the situation and to make sure that it moves in a positive direction.”
"We [Russia and Iran] are good neighbours. Our contacts are rapidly growing, especially in recent years, and trade is increasing, with a turnover approaching $3.5 billion. Our contacts are diversified enough. I want to stress our cooperation in energy, transportation and communications."
"The heads of state at the Dushanbe summit have supported the social and economic development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. In economic cooperation, priorities belong to transport, telecommunications and high-technology projects. Together with the business and financial community, we must encourage joint projects in developing ground infrastructure, transcontinental transportation, energy, and modern information technologies."
"When we speak of high technologies, I think it would be timely, bearing in mind the scientific and technical potential and experience of our countries, to examine cooperation in the space effort, in drafting a programme for the practical application of space-based communications, navigation and remote sensing systems. We have good bilateral cooperation with practically all SCO countries in these areas."
"Emergency-prevention measures are a promising cooperative venue. We have agreed to establish the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation's centre for facilitating joint disaster-prevention efforts and clean-up and relief operations. It is important to hold regular joint exercises involving all rescue units of SCO member-states and to establish close contacts between border-region rescue teams."
"Naturally, Russia has long-established links with China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. We must do everything we can to guarantee the progress of these relationships, and that's what we are doing. Hegemony is out of the question. On the contrary, you may have noticed that we seek ways to guarantee the interests of all member countries in the organisation. In fact, each country shares its competitive advantages in international markets and on bilateral arrangements."
"We believe the plans we have drawn in the Russian economy and in cooperation with our partners must be implemented. More than that, we will work to implement them at all costs because they will support domestic demand in our countries."
"I believe the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation should facilitate joint work on migration issues. Most importantly, we must obtain the maximum positive social and economic effect from migration. In order to accomplish this, we should create an effective system for countering illegal migration and provide incentives for legal migrants."
"Many financial sources were closing due to the international financial crisis, and that the markets for our traditional goods were shrinking to great extent. That is why we must implement our projects at all costs, when they are ambitious enough and especially when they involve economic infrastructure. Again, we must stimulate domestic demand. We must help each other finance projects. Russia, China and Kazakhstan have many such opportunities."
"The current global and regional conditions necessitate the need for enhancing the potential of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and its ability to promptly and adequately react to important developments. This issue was discussed in detail at today's closed-door meeting. I hope all colleagues will agree with the following conclusion: more closely-coordinated actions, including approaches to the development of national economies, are becoming more important today. In order to accomplish these objectives, we must use available cooperation mechanisms and, if necessary, create new ones. There are plans to finalise political-diplomatic measures and joint-reaction mechanisms for coping with situations that threaten regional peace, stability and security."
"Russia plans to be a part of modifying the global financial system that would facilitate real worldwide stability, prosperity and progress."
"We have great expectations for the energy sector. This year Deputy Prime Ministers met twice to discuss energy issues. This new mechanism's key aim is to streamline our energy cooperation, and to coordinate the activities of Russian and Chinese companies."
"Cooperation in construction is another big issue on the agenda, particularly within the scope of Russia's preparations for the Olympic Games in Sochi and for the APEC summit in Vladivostok. Our Chinese friends possess vast experience in holding such major events. The recent Olympic Games in Beijing are an excellent example. I am certain this experience will be extremely valuable for us. We also welcome Chinese companies' participation in tenders for building sports and infrastructure facilities."
"It is widely known that trade in machinery, equipment and high-tech products is one of the most problematic aspects of our interaction. The current state of affairs falls behind the two countries' potential. This particularly applies to relevant Russian exports to the Chinese market. I believe that by joint efforts we can boost mutual flows of science-intensive products."
"Apart from being a high-priority partner in the Asia-Pacific region, Vietnam is also our strategic partner. Unfortunately, this status has yet to be translated into full-fledged trade and economic relations. However, both nations have a huge potential. The growth rate recently posted by your country proves that our trade and economic relations have a future".
"We intend to make broad use of the opportunities of international cooperation in the struggle against corruption. It is an acute problem for many countries. It should be resolved not only at national level but also by consolidating the international legal foundation, and shutting down channels of laundering criminal proceeds."
"The Russian national office cooperates practically with all Interpol's members. We are going to continue developing such contacts, and actively support international initiatives in Interpol. In particular, I am referring to projects aimed at introducing modern information technologies, forming databases, and training personnel. I would like to note that an Interpol-supervised training centre is already operating in Russia."
"Russia is Europe's third largest export partner and fourth largest importer of European goods. Energy is such an important cooperation area that I do not even have to mention it here. It is also our political priority to be considerate of each other's interests, to study each other thoroughly and to help each other."
"The Republic of Korea is our reliable partner in tackling a number of international problems. We hope that our fruitful cooperation will continue."
"New economic possibilities open up for us, including energy, advanced technologies, engineering industry and petrochemistry. We are ready to look at the possibility of cooperation in the civilian use of nuclear energy. I am very pleased to mention that the first Gazprom drill rig is scheduled to be launched in the Gulf of Venezuela in late October. It seems to me, the cooperation between Russian companies and the Venezuelan state energy company has a good outlook either for bilateral work or for entering the third countries' market."
"Mr Fillon and I discussed at length preparations for and the presentation of the Year of Russia in France and the Year of France in Russia. We expressed confidence that this meaningful project will enrich our dialogue and strengthen direct personal contacts between the citizens of the two countries".
"One of the power houses of our economic cooperation is energy. Our French colleagues have confirmed Total's interest in all phases of development of the Shtokman deposit. We see in this evidence of major French companies associating its long-term and strategic plans with Russia.”
"One of such breakthrough areas is aerospace. At Kourou, French Guiana, the Soyuz-ST project is well underway. The launch is scheduled for September 2009. Firm ties are being established between Russia's United Aircraft Building Corporation and EADS. We expect to speak of full production cooperation in the future. A large number of specialists from France are already working in aerospace in Russia, and hundreds of Russian specialists currently work on French soil".
"We believe that the important approach now is to support the positive trends in the most advanced high-technology fields of cooperation. This will enable us to diversify our business ties and improve the competitive edge of the two countries in global markets."
"Economic cooperation between Russia and France is based on two powerful components - energy and high technology. Our countries have great potential in these areas, and a competitive advantage, which in turn secures their positions in world markets."
"Russia has always been open to close international cooperation, which should be based on respect for the partner, understanding mutual interests and profits".
"Energy remains one of our priorities. The work with our French partners confirms that Russia is committed to cooperation in this strategic area, whether in hydrocarbons, the energy industry or the peaceful use of nuclear energy".
"Our countries actively interact in industry as well as in research and development, for example, in aerospace. This is an important step towards boosting the quality of our business links and diversifying their structure".
"I was pleased to see what was presented by the Belgian side. I cannot help but mention that our growing trade has reached $6 billion. I was particularly pleased to see the increasing Belgian investments in the Russian economy. Importantly, some of them are direct".
"We will be happy if Bulgaria becomes more active in the Black Sea region. We have discussed economic issues, including energy, military and technical cooperation and major projects. We have also discussed our financial relations, where we appear to have full understanding of what needs to be done, and cultural cooperation. This year in Bulgaria is the Year of Russia. We have agreed with Mr Prime Minister that we will make every effort to launch the Year of Bulgaria in Russia the next year".
"Russia and Bulgaria have strong long-standing ties. In the recent years we have managed to increase the mutual trade volumes by more than 30% last year in the face of many difficulties. According to our current statistics, Russia is the top exporter to Bulgaria and ranks fourth in sales turnover between our countries".
"Yes, France is undoubtedly a privileged partner of Russia. That is why we have made some strategic decisions to allow French companies into the Russian energy sector, into the extraction of hydrocarbons."
"Let me also remind you that Russia’s bid for the APEC presidency in 2012 has been unanimously supported by the participants of that international forum. We are looking at the upcoming summit as a real opportunity for expanding cooperation with our partners in the Asia-Pacific Region".
"I firmly believe that the reputation of any country which is capable of defending the life and dignity of its citizens, and can conduct independent foreign policy will only improve in mid- and long-term perspective".
