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
“At a certain point Russia and Germany charted this course of strengthening cooperation, of building a strategic partnership, and this approach is yielding real, tangible results. Bilateral trade revenue now stands at about 18 billion euros for each side. Well, take 18 billion euros, maybe by yearend it will be 20 billion euros, that's the volume of goods that German industry produces and sells on our market. Is this a lot or a little? And this, as you know, means providing jobs and prosperity for millions of people in Germany.”
“We have all the opportunities for collective development, particularly great transit and transport potential within the SCO, above all continental corridors North-South and Asia-Europe. We could promote broad cooperation in this area, and create the right conditions to launch large-scale ambitious international projects. We agreed with our dialogue partners to expedite the creation of a special SCO account that would become an instrument of financial support for new projects, an account that would accumulate both state and private funds.”
“Russia and Tajikistan are closely tied by bonds of friendship. Our relations have strengthened significantly over the past few years. Our mutual trust is clearly evidenced by the cooperation between our military agencies and the presence of a full-fledged Russian military base in Tajikistan that has been operating with your direct support for a long time. I believe that this is an important factor in the region’s stability.”
“Bulgarian resorts have always been popular with Russians. Hundreds of thousands of Russians spend their holidays on the Bulgarian coast of the Black Sea. Between January and August of this year 320,000 Russian tourists visited Bulgaria. This number is expected to reach half a million soon. Russian companies invest a great deal in Bulgarian tourism infrastructure. Russia is eager to continue interacting with Bulgaria to promote mutual tourism.”
"In general, Russia’s foreign trade has been growing at a satisfactory pace this year. Russia’s trade with key partners, actually with all of our trading partners, currently totals $400 billion, up 40% from last year. Obviously, trade within the CIS remains our priority; however, our trade with Eurozone countries, as is well known, is also growing. EU partners currently account for over 50% of Russia’s foreign trade. We are also actively cooperating with the BRIC countries – China, India and Brazil. We are building relations with Latin American countries, and trade with countries of the Asia-Pacific region is on the rise."
“The matter requires negotiations, and the principles underlying the talks depend on the two negotiating parties. Just as the other members of the international community, Russia can only be a guarantor of the process. I know there are many forces in Georgia that want Georgian-Russian relations normalised, and want to have a common future with the Ossetian people. This is the road to travel, and we should not seek other solutions. America is America, Russia is Russia and Ossetia is Ossetia. There's nobody you can invoke, and you can't wait for manna from heaven. "We want no condescending saviours to rule us from their judgment hall" (quotation from l'Internationale). We need to do everything with our own hands. Something has been done already, and we need to make a step in the right direction.”
"Despite the global financial and economic crisis, we were able to retain positive trends in the economy with our Indian partners. Despite the crisis, trade between our countries grew 7.5% last year, and in the first four months of this year, it grew another 26%. We have many concrete large-scale projects, and they are all progressing well. I'm very glad to have the opportunity to meet with you and discuss our joint work."
“I would like to express hope that all events being held during the Year of Russia in France and the Year of France in Russia will make it possible to reassess our past and our joint future and will enable the citizens of both countries to get to know each other better and to chart ways of effective work in the near future and in the long-term. It is hardly surprising that General Charles de Gaulle once assessed Russian-French relations and said the Russian-French alliance always became particularly important at all crucial stages of history. One could not say better.”
“The purchase of the Mistral is primarily a matter for the General Staff. We need answers to the following questions: How will the ship be used? Where will she be used? What components will be manufactured and where? I repeat, we want to know what components and in what volume will be manufactured at Russian enterprises. This matters a great deal to us. There are very many issues that have not yet been considered by experts. We should get this work underway, and then we will see. As we know, the Russian defence industry is sufficiently well developed. Russia is a major global arms manufacturer and a leading arms exporter. Just as in any other sector, experience, technology and production end-result exchanges are, of course, useful because this primarily concerns state-of-the-art technology.”
“We suggest that in their cooperation, regional institutions should focus on developing trade and economic ties and the infrastructure as well as on promoting integration and economic projects all with a view to ensuring the prosperity of the Eurasian nations. I believe it is time we initiated serious efforts to organise our common economic space, to modernise our economies, our industrial and cross-border cooperation, and establish new transport routes, high-tech clusters and energy hubs.”
“In the last few years, Russia and the EU proved that they can cooperate fruitfully in various spheres. We have greatly strengthened mutual trade and are implementing major infrastructure and energy projects together. Mr Vanhanen has just mentioned one of such infrastructure projects in railway transport. We are also working on humanitarian and environmental initiatives. Our interdependence is becoming increasingly evident. We need to work hand in glove, and people in Russia and the EU are coming to see that we all benefit from greater cooperation. We understand that it is making us stronger”.
“Two Finnish politicians are known for building good-neighbourly relations between the Soviet Union and Finland: Presidents Juho Kusti Paasikivi and Urho Kaleva Kekkonen. Of course they lived in a different era. It was a totally different world. And different people can look at the past differently. But the policy of strengthening neighbourly relations between our countries proved fruitful at that time and continues to bear fruit today. It is thanks to this policy that the lease agreement was signed, first for almost 40 years, and now for another 50 today. This is an obvious benefit. These negotiations lasted several years, and today they concluded in the signing of the agreement. These were tough negotiations. Each side brought up a lot of issues that needed to be addressed. But even the most difficult issues can be resolved if there is goodwill, and Russia and Finland do have goodwill”.
“Our countries were allies in World War II and contributed considerably to the defeat of Nazism and Japanese militarism. Today, we are united in a colossal number of joint efforts - we have harmonised our positions in the international arena and are working very effectively in terms of our economies. Quite recently, we kicked off events associated with the Year of Chinese Language in Russia. I know how much effort the Chinese leadership and you personally have invested into the Year of Russian language in China and, indeed, it was a very successful year! I'm sure that the Year of Chinese Language in Russia - which is essentially another year of Chinese culture in Russia - will also be successful.”
“In fact, they have received two billion Euros worth of contracts through just one project, which involves the construction of the pipeline along the bottom of the Baltic Sea. And that is not all. If we carry out other major infrastructure projects like the South Stream, and this is very likely since we have no reason to doubt that we will complete this ambitious project, then there will be additional contracts. If Sollers and Fiat implement their programmes, Fiat plants will be busy for quite some time to come. The same applies to the chemical industry, where cooperation will lead to contracts for both Russian and Italian companies. We have a great interest in these sorts of projects, because they give us access to new knowledge and technology. This is cooperation in the broadest and most direct sense of the word.”
"The government commission established by executive order must do everything it can to determine the causes of the accident in the shortest possible time. That's the first thing. And second, we need to do everything we can to help the victims' families and those travelling to Moscow to identify the bodies. We need to do everything we can to help them during this difficult time. We need to help them with travel and accommodations in Moscow, and we need to have psychologists on hand to offer them support in this difficult hour."
“We haven't had much political contact in recent years. This is the first visit of the Swedish prime minister to Russia in ten years. That being said, economic ties between our countries have deepened. In 2008 bilateral trade neared $9 billion. However, it has dropped by some 40% during the recession. Many large Swedish companies do business in Russia, including IKEA, Electrolux, Tetra Pak, Alfa Laval, Scania and Volvo. Swedish companies also have quite a big share in the telecommunications market.”
“The South Stream is one of these major projects. As you know this project has received broad international support. Bulgaria, Hungary, Greece, Serbia and Slovenia have already joined the project. All participants in the project, including Croatia, which has joined it today, will obviously stand to gain from it. The project will guarantee the stability of energy supplies to Europe and bring purely economic advantages to its participants.”
“Russia considers Croatia to be its important and reliable partner in the Balkans and in Europe as a whole. We have discussed in detail the entire agenda of Russian-Croatian relations and I'd like to note that they are intensive and diverse.”
“An ambitious blueprint for our cooperation in culture and science in 2010-2011was signed today. I would like to highlight that the traditionally good and constructive relations between Russia and Greece are moving forward. Trade grew rapidly in the past years, increasing by 40%, 45% and even 50% annually. Unfortunately, it slumped by over 40% last year because of the global downturn.”
“«South Stream» is not a project between Greece and Russia. It is a major international European project built on market principles. Its shares are held by three leading European companies: Russian, French and Italian. They will attract the funds needed to implement to project. There is enough money in the market for such projects. Funding is no problem at all. Many European countries, at least 10, are interested in this project and we have signed intergovernmental agreements with them.»”
“Major Russian companies are actively working in Lithuania and have invested over $1.5 billion in the Lithuanian economy. We would like to continue this work. Still, if we had created favourable conditions for development in years past, these investments could have been several times greater. I say this in all honesty, without any exaggeration. Several times greater! <…>We are optimistic about our diplomatic and economic ties with your country. We sincerely hope that we will be able to take steps in the right direction and not put these decisions on the back burner.”
“We regard Finland as a major partner in the region, and Russia remains among Finland's crucial trade and economic partners. I hope the Helsinki-St Petersburg speed train will start operating at the end of this year, and we will sign an agreement in May on leasing the Russian stretch of the Saimaa Channel.”
“We share many interests. I have reviewed all aspects of our economic relations, and I see that Danish companies' interest in working in Russia is not subsiding. This interest is sufficiently diversified, and concerns food, construction and engineering industries, including the manufacture of household appliances.”
"As for energy, we know that there are problems with hydroelectric power in Venezuela due to a drought. We are willing to help by supplying equipment to offset shrinking energy generation-in particular, mobile gas turbine power stations. We can do this very quickly if necessary."
"This meeting concludes efforts started a year ago to set up the necessary conditions for the development of Junin 6, one of the world's largest oilfields. A consortium of Russian oil companies is ready to transfer a $600 million bonus, as was previously agreed upon, as soon as the Venezuelan parliament ratifies today's agreement. This is the beginning of a huge cooperative effort. I am confident that it will proceed according to plan and pay the corresponding dividends for Venezuela and Russia."
Today we discussed our ambitious joint projects-in particular, the South Stream gas pipeline and the Samsun-Ceyhan oil pipeline. The fact that these two projects are crucial to Russia, Turkey and the whose of Europe both in terms of finding a solution to environmental problems, and in terms of ensuring reliable energy supplies to Europe is, I think, indisputable.
"Today, Turkish companies have $6 billion invested in Russia, and Russian companies have $4 billion invested in Turkey. Lucrative investment opportunities span a wide range of sectors: steel, construction and light industry, telecommunications, transport and many other fields. Russian companies are also ready to take part in privatization programmes carried out by Turkish government".
Russia has been, and remains Turkey's largest, and highly reliable, energy supplier. We provide approximately 70% of Turkey's demand in natural gas. We believe we can take this further, moving beyond simply trading, to asset exchanges and cross- capitalisation.
The global financial and economic crisis undoubtedly caused a slight decline in our bilateral trade. But that is why we have come together today, to see how we can overcome these hardships together, how we can increase investment and return to steady growth in trade and in our economic partnership. As Mr Erdogan said today, our trade can hit the $100 billion mark within five years. I think this goal is attainable.
"Turkey remains one of Russia's biggest trade and economic partners, leaving behind both the United States and Britain. We have major joint projects in energy, telecommunications and other industries. Now our goal is to diversify our economic relations".
"I would like to say again that we realise that although relations between the Russian and Georgian governments are at an all time low, such that has never been in history, relations between the two peoples have a different character. The relations between Georgians and Russians have a solid foundation developed over centuries. We are connected by thousands of invisible ties, including mutual interests and a common history."
"$35 billion in foreign direct investment has been channelled into the Russian economy from January through September 2009. This is a good result given the global financial and economic crisis."
"I would like to start with the application of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to invest 4.6 billion roubles (approximately $150 million) in a private Russian commercial bank. This is a good example of interaction between private Russian businesses and a leading international financial institution. Investments in banking are especially important during the ongoing global financial crisis. I am pleased that the value of our banks is increased not only through long-term state allocations but also through private investment and with funds provided by international financial institutions."
“Indeed, if Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance pool our efforts in areas of common interest, we can achieve good results. This applies to combating international terrorism, controlling the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and delivery vehicles for these weapons, and fighting organized crime and illegal drug trafficking.”
“Our cooperation also looks promising in the banking and financial sectors, high technology, communications and telecommunications. The joint venture GTel Mobile, which includes Russian VympelKom, is a successful mobile phone operator. And yesterday a Vietnamese-Russian bank opened a subsidiary in Moscow. We have also done well in mechanical engineering. The KamAZ Truck Plant is a leader here and continues to be active in the Vietnamese market despite tough competition. It has already produced more than 1,500 trucks in Vietnam.”
“Today Rosatom (The State Atomic Energy Corporation) and Inter RAO UES signed a memorandum of understanding with their Vietnamese friends. In future this agreement will allow them to develop full-scale relations in such a promising area as the civilian nuclear industry. We are ready to help our Vietnamese partners in implementing their national programme for the development of the nuclear power industry until 2020."
“We have amassed a wealth of experience in the energy industry. Our joint venture Vietsovpetro is one of the world's leading oil and gas companies in output and, importantly, financial viability. We are successfully developing our relations in the electrical power industry. In the 1970s and 1980s this country helped Vietnam build thermal and hydroelectric power stations with an overall capacity of more than 4,000 megawatts. It would be no exaggeration to say that these power stations now form the backbone of Vietnam's electrical power industry. Nowadays Russian companies such as Silovye Mashiny are building new electricity generating facilities in Vietnam.”
“Today we are living through the world financial and economic crisis, but for all that our trade and economic turnover has increased in the nine months of this year over last year. Vietnam is carrying out 60 projects with the participation of Russian companies. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin held talks with his Vietnamese counterpart Nguyen Tan Dung.”
“Relations between Russia and Vietnam are of an exceptionally special character. Both countries are treating their relations with particular attention and special warmth. The opening of the Kamran memorial as a tribute to our former military brotherhood is the recent evidence of this”.
“Over the past several years, relations between our two countries have been developing very positively. In four years we have, I believe, tripled our trade turnover, which reached two billion dollars last year. Naturally, the volume of trade decreased somewhat due to the global economic downturn. But I am convinced that this is a temporary setback, and that the levels will rebound”.
“I am happy to note that India, which truly is an important strategic partner for us both in the region and globally, strongly supports our contacts in virtually every area.”
“We consider the implementation of joint business projects to be a key factor in achieving sustained development and economic growth. In that respect we recognise that India has for a great many years proved our reliable partner. We have many promising areas such as mineral extraction, metallurgy, energy, the jewellery and chemical industries, pharmaceutics, aviation, machine-building, space, transport and communications.”
“Our task now is to move forward, to develop all the myriad opportunities we have to diversify the Russian-Indian partnership. The time has come to move to a qualitatively new level of bilateral interaction and to move on from traditional trade to large-scale joint projects and investments, including in the markets of third countries. This is even more important now when we are already seeing early signs of recovery in the global economy and business activity.”
“I would like to say that the strengthening of our strategic partnership with India has been, and remains, a key priority for Russian foreign policy. That applies both to our interaction in the international arena and to the development of multi-faceted economic relations. We have already created a solid base for the latter. Over the last three years our trade has grown at a steady 30% a year. Moreover, it grew even in a time of global crisis. It grew by almost 8% during the first nine months of this year. It is a totally unique phenomenon. We see that cooperation with India has become genuinely immune to the crisis and that it need not fear fluctuations in the world market.”
“Israel is one of Russia’s priority partners in the Middle East. We have also developed friendly relations over the past decades. We certainly value our contact and plan to continue promoting it”
"Now, concerning the WTO. Our entry remains our strategic objective, but our impression is that for some unknown motives certain countries, including the United States, are hindering our accession to the WTO. For us, our main priority is still integration across the post-Soviet space, and we are very pleased with the processes going on in the Customs Union, which I mentioned before, and which has been formed by Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus."
"We are determined to step up cooperation in advanced technologies and science, including in purely scientific areas such as the International Laser and Cyclotron Centres currently under construction in Bratislava. We welcome the Slovak Government's decision to continue this project and ensure that it receives proper funding. For our part, we will do everything possible to complete this project successfully."
"Increasing work on infrastructure is also on our agenda. Possible projects include extending the railway from Kosice to Bratislava, with a branch to Vienna. <…> This project involves one more country: Ukraine. <…> The project has been progressing at a good pace so far. We have noted Prime Minister Fico's remark that this project is critical for Slovakia, not only in terms of building a railway but also due to the possibility of expanding the country's transport capabilities, which means increasing the capacity of ports and airports, directing cargo traffic through Slovakia to southern Europe, and using the transport capabilities of Slovakia proper. This issue will be thoroughly discussed and implemented as a part of a wider programme."
"Until recently, trade between Russia and Slovakia was distinctive for its positive growth, increasing more than threefold within the past five years. The global financial and economic crisis has certainly affected trade, and this year it will face a considerable decline. There is only one solution: We must restructure our trade and economic cooperation, and decrease its dependence on external conditions. This can be achieved by expanding business connections, investment partnerships, and cooperation in high-technology industries."
"Russia will continue supplying oil to the Slovak market and transporting it through Slovakia. In this respect, the project to extend the Druzhba oil pipeline from Bratislava to the refinery in Schwechat, outside Vienna, appears especially promising, although it requires further study by all those concerned."
