Vladimir Putin and José Manuel Barroso give a news conference
Vladimir Putin: Ladies and gentlemen!
Our work today was very constructive and very comprehensive. We have discussed our cooperation in many areas, and I am confident that today’s meeting will make an important contribution to expanding our relations – in particular economically – and lend a fresh dynamism to our cooperation.
Mr Barroso has just made a very good point – or rather formulated a very wise idea. I even jotted it down. He said that Russian energy is a key to European prosperity.
In fact, this statement could draw the line under this news conference if we hadn’t discussed such a wide range of equally important issues.
This morning, Russian ministers and heads of government agencies met with their European counterparts and high commissioners. We all can note that, thanks to the well-coordinated anti-crisis policies pursued simultaneously by the Russian government, the European Commission, and the governments of European countries, economic growth accelerated in 2010.
We certainly see risks and threats now connected with the growing prices of energy resources. Today Brent crude oil traded at $118 per barrel at international exchanges. This certainly poses a threat to global economic growth. If prices continue rising at this pace, I must tell you that Russia’s economy will also suffer. We want fair prices. We realize that, if the global economy slows down, it will damage Russia’s economy. Therefore, we are determined to make every effort, together with our European partners, to prevent this negative development, although we cannot directly affect it.
At the same time, trade between Russia and Europe is gradually returning to its pre-crisis level. It grew 30% last year, to over $300 billion.
Speaking of trade, we could not avoid discussing one of the most pressing issues of the day: Russia’s potential accession to the World Trade Organisation. This move will benefit both Russia and the European Union. I must now remind you that the European Union accounts for over 50% of Russia’s foreign trade and for 68% of Russia’s exports. Russia, in turn, is Europe’s third largest trade partner after the United States and China. We understand how significant that is. Russia’s WTO accession will give an additional impetus to the negotiation of our basic agreement with the EU – something we see as a very important issue; we have discussed it today as well. We have had 12 rounds of talks; it is our shared goal to carry this work to its conclusion.
We have exchanged information today on the state of our national economies and their prospects for growth. When one of our partners was talking about it, I even went so far as to say that I had the impression that I was attending one of our own government meetings.
What he was saying was exactly what we discus at our government meetings in Moscow. This provides for a generally healthy atmosphere. It means that we are facing the same problems and seeking the best ways of their solution. And I should say that very often our approaches to dealing with these difficult problems coincide.
Shared economic challenges are another argument for supporting Russia’s ambition for a deeper integration with the EU. Today we have discussed how we could coordinate our work to draft long term plans for specific sectors – farming, the automobile industry, shipbuilding, healthcare, and pharmaceuticals. We talked about the possibility of setting up strategic alliances; in fact such alliances are already being established.
We have also discussed the importance of introducing visa-free travel to the EU. Let me repeat that during my meetings with various representatives of European business community, it is our European partners who have been raising this issue more and more often, pointing out that visa travel between Russia and the EU is becoming a serious hindrance to economic cooperation and development.
Another cooperation priority is energy. Russia is a major energy supplier to Europe, as my colleague just mentioned. It is a special kind of responsibility, and we are aware of it. We are interested in effective and fair working conditions for all market players.
Today we have again raised the issue of the “third energy package” of the EU, expressing our concern over several parameters of this initiative. I am not disclosing any secrets now – we have exchanged our information. I was pleased to hear that our partners are sincerely concerned over certain nuances pertaining to the realisation of this initiative and its corollary implications. We hope that we will find solutions acceptable to Russia and to our European partners – it is possible.
Incidentally, the Russian Ministry of Energy and the Energy Commission of the European Union have agreed on, and in fact, prepared four important agreements for signing. They will improve the system of early warning of possible problems in order to speedily rectify them. Most importantly, they will help us develop a roadmap for cooperation in the [energy] industry, which is of great importance to both Russia and our European partners. A roadmap for energy cooperation between Russia and the EU through 2050 is being developed.
We expect our partners to pay due attention to our proposals. I would like to sincerely thank the president of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, and the rest of our European partners for the very business-like and profound dialogue we had today.
I am confident that this meeting will strengthen our relationship and give it a fresh impetus for growth. Given the complicated processes taking place in North Africa today, we must further coordinate our efforts in foreign policy and the economy. That was the main goal of this meeting. And I should say that it was very fruitful. Thank you very much for your attention.
Question: I have a question for both speakers. Russia and the EU have been unable to extend their basic cooperation agreement. Could you tell us what the points of controversy are and whether one of them is the visa travel issue? Thank you.
Vladimir Putin: First of all, we proceed from the assumption that a major prerequisite for concluding a new basic agreement is Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organisation.
Second, we believe that this should be a framework agreement and that there should be separate agreements specifying the principles of our cooperation in particular industries.
On the whole, our positions are gradually converging. Given that the previous agreement remains in force, there is no instability in our relations. We do have a legal framework for cooperation. I agree with our European partners and President Barroso that if we have to conclude a new agreement, it should be worked through in full. I believe that by comparing our positions in various areas of cooperation today, we have taken a big step forward towards concluding such an agreement.
More to be posted soon...
источник новости: http://premier.gov.ru/eng/events/news/14257/
