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
“We intend to create a powerful association that can and must become a pillar of the global economy, and we are not exaggerating or getting on our high horses. It will indeed enable us to take part as equals in the industrial and technological process, to compete for investors, to create new, high-quality jobs. I am convinced that our countries have all that is needed for that.”
“As a troika, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan can offer promising topics for further dialogue with the European Union and with individual countries and regional associations. Consultations are already underway on a free trade zone with the European Free Trade Association, and further down the road we plan to start negotiations on a free trade zone with the united Europe, with the EU.”
“In lifting the barriers within the Customs Union we will be careful to prevent any insurmountable barriers from being erected on the outer borders of the Customs Union. On the contrary, our main task is to ensure that by pooling their efforts all our countries would become integrated in the global economy more effectively and harmoniously – I stress, to become integrated with and not to fence itself off from the global economy.”
“This business forum of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan was timed to coincide with a momentous date – the formation of the common customs space, the common customs territory which was completed on July 1. Customs offices on the borders between our three states have been removed. This is not just a formal lifting of administrative procedures. For the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union the first real step has been made towards restoring the natural economic and trade ties in the post-Soviet space.”
“Today we have made an important step toward expanding our bilateral partnership: we signed the ambitious Russian-Ukrainian Economic Cooperation Programme for 2011-2020. We intend to base it on the most promising areas of cooperation. The implementation of these plans will not only strengthen long-standing trade and economic ties but also create new science-intensive high-tech industries.”
“Ukraine is one of Russia's principal trade partners in the CIS. Russian businesses are investing ever more in Ukrainian industries. I regard the increase of mutual investment as the key indicator of our joint achievements.”
“Russian and Ukrainian companies are carrying out joint high-tech projects in the nuclear power industry, aviation, shipbuilding, and space technology. Obviously, the implementation of such ambitious projects requires different systemic conditions. I’m convinced that Ukraine’s more active involvement in multilateral integration projects, primarily the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space, would create new opportunities for our business communities.”
“Our joint response to the crisis, including the establishment of the Anti-Crisis Fund, helped us stall the recession, bring down inflation, and head off a sharp decline in trade between our countries. We did not just promptly develop and implement collective response measures. We also reaffirmed our cohesion as an organisation and displayed a constructive approach based upon mutual responsibility. This only further testifies to EurAsEC’s potential, the importance of its integration resources for securing the interests of our national economies, and their fast and sustainable growth.”
“It is worth mentioning that the Customs Union has already brought about significant and tangible results. Mutual trade between Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia has almost doubled since the Customs Union came into full effect last year. The Common Economic Space, founded upon the three states I just mentioned, will be another important step towards promoting deeper integration. By July 1, we plan to ratify the package of documents necessary for its coming into effect in January 2012.”
“By 2012, we should create a common market with free movement of goods, services, capital and manpower. The common market will have uniform rules, unified legislation, coordinated tax, monetary and currency and financial policies, common principles that regulate natural monopolies, and a competition policy to ensure the equal, non-discriminatory access of the enterprises of the member states in the common economic space to the markets of goods and services and to state and municipal orders.”
“I have to stress that the Customs Union and the Common Economic Space (CES) are not an exclusive club. We are open to the accession of other countries, we are ready for closer cooperation with the European Union, including in the format of a constructive dialogue between the Common Economic Space and the EU.”
“You know about our project to build the Vostochny spaceport in Russia’s Far East. We could bring on Ukrainian specialists during the early stage of this project – they could take part in the construction of the spaceport. Most important, they should understand when spacecraft will be launched from it, what they will be like and where they will be produced.”
“We have a number of good, and interesting, projects planned in the investment field. I'll mention only one of those – the consolidation of the assets of two major car manufacturers: KamAZ and MAZ. The establishment of such a strategic alliance will naturally increase the competitiveness of Belarusian and Russian enterprises and create new stable, high-paying jobs. And this would, undoubtedly, be a significant step within the integration process relating to the real economy.”
“The establishment of the Customs Union should be backed by the active development of Russian-Belarusian trade and economic ties. In 2010, we saw an 18% increase in trade, and we will try to maintain this positive trend this year. Expanding industrial cooperation and creating favourable conditions for trade and interregional partnership have been a focus of our attention as well. We will also strive to encourage work in the high-tech sector, in the fuel and energy sector for instance. I am referring to our plans to build a nuclear power station in Belarus.”
“The establishment of the Customs Union promotes our membership in the WTO, believe me. There are several reasons for this. First, our colleagues see that though we are willing to join, we can also do without the WTO. They are also eager to see Russia among the countries that use the unified economic rules and interpret them similarly. So they have accelerated the process of admitting Russia. That is why the establishment of the Customs Union has accelerated, rather than hindered, our movement toward the WTO.”
“Last year, when we all were suffering from the crisis, Russia supported Armenia. On your request we drew up and issued 500 million dollars in a soft loan with a maturity of 15 years. Despite a certain overall decrease, this allowed us to shore up both our bilateral trade and Russia's investment in the Armenian economy, which amounts to between 2.8 billion to 3 billion. Not a single Russian company has withdrawn from Armenia's economy. This goes for Gazprom, INTER RAO UES, JSFC Sistema, VTB Bank and many other companies. In total, several thousand companies comprising Russian capital are operating in Armenia.”
“It is worth mentioning that these measures are the first actual integration efforts in 15 years. I’m referring to the establishment of the Customs Union between Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus and the next step which we are approaching – the establishment of a Common Economic Space. I would like to emphasise that this will mean a deep economic integration which will allow us to be more competitive. We will have a large market – 140 million in this country, 15 million in Kazakhstan plus 10 million in Belarus – look, this market can be compared to that of the European Union.”
“CES, similarly to the customs union before that, is being formed in a very short time, without exaggeration, in record time. Such a pace is made possible by the constructive spirit of all participants in this process, as well as a tremendous amount of work. I say this without exaggeration: the effort at the expert and industry levels was enormous. And I want to thank all the government officials for the contribution you have made to this major, very important process, a matter of strategic importance for our country.”
“Eurasian economic community is the undisputed leader of integration in the post-Soviet space. Over its 10-year history, EurAsEC has become a mature and influential regional organisation. Our five countries are successfully promoting joint social and economic initiatives. We also cooperate in the cultural sphere, increasing the tempo and improving the quality of our joint work. The Customs Union of Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan has grown into the community's centerpiece project. Since its launch, it has already brought tangible benefits to some enterprises and even entire industries, and has accelerated post-crisis economic recovery.”
“Ukraine is one of Russia's most important partners, not only in the CIS but in the entire world. Russian businesses are increasing investment. Russia comes second after Germany in terms of investments in the Ukrainian economy. We must keep up the pace of the progress we've made recently and maintain our competitive advantages in order to develop our own economies, solve social problems and operate effectively in the markets of other countries. We are determined to follow this road”.
